Odisha Chief Electoral Officer R.S. Gopalan has directed Electoral Registration Officers to verify voters before deleting names from the electoral rolls. Approximately 9.8 lakh voters have been identified for deletion, but officials have received complaints of wrongful removal. The CEO has ordered EROs to put on hold scrutiny of 2 lakh people who have lodged complaints and verify at least 50% of cases.
The Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have identified the names for deletion, but they are not authorized to delete names from the electoral rolls. EROs will take decisions in this regard. The CEO has also activated a toll-free helpline (1950) for voters to check their names on the lists or raise complaints.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das has demanded reverification of all flagged names, questioning the basis on which deletions were recommended. BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra has also raised concerns about the scale and process underlying the proposed deletions.
