Odisha has emerged as a national frontrunner in electoral reforms, with its innovative Special Intensive Revision-2026 (SIR-2026) process drawing high praise from Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer, S. Chokalingam.
During a high-level visit to the office of Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer, R.S. Gopalan, Chokalingam closely studied Odisha’s end-to-end model — from door-to-door form distribution and field-level arrangements to real-time digitisation and advanced monitoring systems. He lauded the state’s systematic approach and expressed confidence that these best practices would prove highly beneficial for other states.
On the same day, S.B. Joshi, Principal Secretary of the Election Commission of India, chaired a comprehensive review meeting on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision drive in the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) area. The focus remained on building an accurate, inclusive, and updated voter list while ensuring no eligible voter is left out.
Impressive Progress So Far
As of today, 99.44% of enumeration forms have been distributed across Odisha, reaching 3,32,13,393 voters. Of these, data from 66.05% — or 2,20,61,739 voters — has already been digitised. Officials were directed to maintain strict timelines and further strengthen transparency in the entire process.
The meetings were attended by senior officers, including BMC Commissioner Chanchal Rana, Deputy CEO Dr. Laxmi Prasad Sahu, Additional CEO Shri Shubhendu Kumar Sahu, and other key functionaries from the Chief Electoral Officer’s office.
Odisha’s SIR-2026 initiative is now being viewed as a replicable model that combines grassroots outreach with cutting-edge technology — setting a new standard for clean and credible electoral rolls nationwide.
