Odisha SIR: 8.32 lakh deceased, 10.07 lakh shifted voters removed from draft electoral roll; Claims open till Aug 4
Bhubaneswar, July 6
Around 8.32 lakh deceased voters, 10.07 lakh shifted or permanently absent voters, and 1.58 lakh duplicate registrations have been excluded from the draft electoral roll in Odisha.
Additional Chief Electoral Officer Sushanta Kumar Mishra said nearly 14,000 voters could not be included as their enumeration forms were not received.
"The first category is about those who are dead or deceased. Around 8.32 lakh voters are dead, so their names have been deleted. Another 10.07 lakh voters are either shifted or permanently absent. There is one more category where voters have been registered in two different places or more than one place. About 1.58 lakh voters are registered in more than one place. In the case of around 14,000 voters, we could not receive the enumeration forms back. That is the reason why we are not able to include them in the draft list," Mishra said.
He added that eligible voters can file claims and objections until August 4, while hearings on the applications will be completed by September 2.
"For these people, we have another month during which they can submit their claims and objections, and the hearings will be completed by 2nd September. We have two months during which they can provide information, submit applications, and raise any claims or objections they want. The period for raising claims and objections will be up to 4th August," Sushanta Kumar Mishra said.
The draft electoral roll was published on July 5, 2026. The state authorities have maintained that the exercise is part of a transparent and inclusive effort to maintain an updated electoral database.
The final electoral roll for Odisha is scheduled to be published on September 6, following a thorough verification of all claims and objections.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Great move but I have mixed feelings. My father passed away last year and his name is finally being removed, that's good. But what about the 10 lakh shifted voters? Many of them are migrant workers like my brother who works in Surat. They moved for work but still want to vote in Odisha. The system should allow them to update addresses easily, not just delete them. Also, the 158k duplicates are shocking - shows how outdated our electoral system was!
This is transparency we like to see! 👍 But I'm skeptical - 8.32 lakh deceased seems too precise. How did they verify all these deaths? In rural Odisha, many families don't report deaths immediately. Also, will political parties be able to challenge these deletions? Let's not forget that electoral rolls have been manipulated in the past. I'll be watching the claims process closely.
I'm a student in Bhubaneswar and I'm glad 1.58 lakh duplicates are gone - people shouldn't vote twice. But I'm worried about the 10 lakh shifted voters. Many Odia workers move to other states for work and their families might not update addresses. The August 4 deadline is too short for people working outside Odisha. They should extend it or accept online claims. My cousin is in Kerala and can't come back just for this. 😔
Good initiative but I see a potential issue. The Election Commission says 14,000 voters couldn't be included because forms weren't returned? Whose fault is that? In many cases, it's the BLOs (Booth Level Officers) who don't collect forms properly. My neighbor in Puri didn't get his form even after 3 visits to the BLO. The system should be more accountable. Also, what about the 28 lakh new voters who turned 18 since last election? Were they added properly?
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