Bhubaneswar, April 20 (IANS) The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Monday raised serious concerns over the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that the names of a large number of voters are being deleted from the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The party, while addressing a press conference held here on Monday, said that similar concerns regarding large-scale deletions are now emerging in Odisha as well.

Speaking at the press conference, senior party Vice President Debi Prasad Mishra noted that the Election Commission carries out revision of electoral rolls every year in January. However, in this year’s annual revision exercise, more than 1 million voters have reportedly been removed from the electoral rolls in Odisha.

He stated that typically, around 700,000 voters are deleted during this process annually, but the removal of an additional 300,000 voters this year has raised serious questions about how such a large number of deletions could have taken place within a short span of time. He further added that, in this context, with the SIR expected to be conducted in Odisha, there is growing apprehension that more voters’ names may be deleted from the rolls.

The senior BJD leader also noted that the SIR was last conducted in Odisha in 2002. He further added that on August 19, 2025, a BJD delegation had met the Election Commission of India and expressed concerns on this issue. The party had specifically urged the ECI that the names of people who migrate outside the state for work or livelihood should not be removed from the voters’ list.

Meanwhile, senior party leader Prasanna Acharya stated that allegations have emerged that more than 50 million voters have reportedly been removed from the rolls in around 12 states and Union Territories through the SIR conducted by the ECI. With the SIR likely to be conducted in Odisha, there is concern that eligible voters may be excluded here as well.

Acharya also said that a letter issued by the Election Commission two days ago has further strengthened these concerns and suspicions. 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 about the process and its transparency.

He urged the government and the Election Commission to address these doubts at the earliest and ensure that the voting rights of citizens are not compromised in any manner.

According to an April 18 letter from the Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Odisha, about 9.8 lakh voter names have been deleted since the elector mapping process began. Numerous complaints have also been received alleging wrongful deletions, including cases where voters were present at their residences and instances where Booth Level Officers (BLOs) neither conducted field visits nor carried out proper verification before removing names from the electoral rolls.

–IANS

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