Responding to allegations that a large number of voters’ names are being removed from India’s electoral rolls through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today stated that similar concerns are now emerging in Odisha as well.
At a press conference held at Shankha Bhavan, Senior Party Vice President Debi Prasad Mishra, Deputy Leader of Opposition and MLA Prasanna Acharya and General Secretary Bijay Nayak raised concerns over the functioning of the Election Commission, citing allegations of large-scale deletion of voter names from electoral rolls.
Debi Prasad Mishra stated that the Election Commission carries out revision of electoral rolls every year in January. However, in this year’s revision, more than 1 million voters have reportedly been removed. Normally, at most around 700,000 voters are deleted in this process, but an additional 300,000 voters being removed this year has raised serious concerns. In this context, with SIR expected to be conducted in Odisha, there is apprehension that more voters’ names may be deleted. He also noted that SIR was last conducted in Odisha in 2002.
He further added that on 19.08.2025, a BJD delegation had met the Election Commission of India and expressed concerns on this issue. The party had specifically urged that the names of people who migrate outside the state for work should not be removed from the voter list. While around 700,000 voters are usually removed annually, this year the number has exceeded 1 million, raising questions about how such a large number of deletions occurred. Removing a citizen’s name from the voter list deprives them of their fundamental right.
Prasanna Acharya stated that serious questions have arisen regarding the overall functioning of the Election Commission in the context of SIR. Allegations have emerged that crores of voters have been deleted in other states as well. In about 12 states and Union Territories, more than 50 million voters have reportedly been removed from the rolls. With SIR likely to be conducted in Odisha, there is concern that eligible voters may be excluded. A letter issued by the Election Commission two days ago has further strengthened these doubts. The fact that around 1 million voters have been removed within just one year and four months, despite being on the rolls earlier, raises significant concerns. He urged the government and the Election Commission to address these doubts and ensure that the voting rights of citizens are not compromised.
