20 lakh names deleted after SIR Phase I in Odisha

More than 20 lakh names were deleted from the Odisha voter list with the Election Commission releasing the draft report of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls on Sunday, July 5, 2026.

Also read | SIR counting phase begins in Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) RS Gopalan said that before the SIR, the total number of voters of Odisha was 3,33,99,591. According to the now published draft report, there were 3,13,87,034 names available. Of the total voters, 1,60,19,176 were men, 1,53,65,083 were women and 2,775 were transgender.

While the fatalities of deleted voters were 8.32 lakh or 2.49% of the total voters, 10.07 lakh voters (3.02%) were either absent or shifted. The number of voters registered at more than one place was 1.58 lakh (0.47%).

The chief executive’s office said booth-level lists of voters reported as deceased, permanently migrated, untraceable or whose forms have not been received are shared with Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties for verification.

According to the statement made by the CEO, as of July 5, 2026, 3,13,87,034 out of 3,33,99,591 voters (93.97%) have submitted their counting forms; This shows that there was a large participation in the first phase of SIR. The successful completion of this phase was achieved by BLOs deployed at 45,250 polling stations supported by district election officers in all 30 districts, 147 Voter Registration Officers, 994 Deputy Electoral Registration Officers, 4,540 Booth Level Auditors and volunteers.

Field representatives of seven recognized political parties, including regional heads, were also actively involved and there were 84,594 BLAs appointed by them, it said.

“Under paragraph 5(b) of the SIR guidelines, no name may be deleted from the draft roll published on July 5, 2026, without notice and a gag order from the Electoral Registrar or the Deputy Electoral Registrar,” Mr. Gopalan said.

He said any aggrieved voter can file an appeal under Section 24 of the Representation of People Act, 1950, to the District Collector and later to the Chief Electoral Officer. Volunteers were also being trained to assist voters with appeals.

transparent process

The Electoral Commission said it was committed to a transparent, participatory and inclusive revision process, ensuring that eligible voters are not left out and that no ineligible names remain on the electoral rolls.

Claims and objections will now be received between July 5, 2026 and August 4, 2026. The notification phase (listening and verification) can be carried out from July 5, 2026 to September 2, 2026. The final electoral roll will be published on September 6, 2026.

“If no name is found in the draft voter list, Form 6 must be filled and submitted, including the name. [Declaration Form] and other documents with appropriate authority,” the commission said.

Voters who have completed or will complete 18 years of age on or before July 1, 2026, were encouraged to apply through Form-6 along with the prescribed declaration form. The CEO said special camps will be held across the state to register all eligible youth voters.

Biju Janata Dal objected to the SIR draft report, claiming that 27 lakh names were deleted from the electoral roll as against the alleged 20 Lakh.

‘There is no consistency in the numbers’

BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said that as per the final voter roll published in 2025, there are 3,40,72,744 registered voters as reflected on the state’s official website.

Mr. Mishra said that after the Election Commission issued the notification for SIR in Odisha on May 14, political parties were informed in the meeting held on May 15 that the state has around 3.34 crore voters.

“Later on June 12, the voter strength was shown as 3,33,99,591. However, the CEO Odisha, while releasing the draft voter rolls on Sunday, stated that there were only 3,13,87,034 voters. Therefore, there is no consistency between the figures officially presented at different stages,” he said.

Mr. Mishra said: “Since the 2026 SIR voter roll has been prepared by matching the 2025 final voter roll with the last SIR voter roll conducted in Odisha in 2002, analysis of the 2025 final voter roll reveals that although officially 20.14 lakh voters were claimed to have been excluded from the draft voter roll, in reality around 27 lakh voters were left out.”

According to BJD, discrepancies have been detected in the voter rolls of many Assembly constituencies. “Of the 147 Assembly constituencies in the state, more than 10,000 voters were left out in 75 constituencies, while more than 15,000 voters were left out in 49 constituencies. Exclusion of such a large number of voters through the SIR process is a matter of serious concern,” the BJD leader said.