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Moving forward with the second phase of the electoral roll revision, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Odisha, S Gopalan, has initiated the issuance of verification notices to approximately 58 lakh individuals whose records require further clarification or correction.
Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, S Gopalan explained how these communications are distributed across different administrative criteria, elaborating on the breakdown of the paperwork. "Latest about the SIR is that Phase 2 is going on. We have generated notices for about 58 lakh people whose names are in the draft rule," he said, Shedding light on the precise classifications of the notices dispatched during this phase, he added, "Notices are of two types. One is for those people who we cannot trace in the 2002 rule, who could not be mapped. Those people are requested to submit any of the stipulated documents." "The remaining 46,000 people have been issued notices for small errors in their entry. Even if a person fails to submit any paper, all cases will be decided on merit by the ERO, and people need not appear in person for hearing," S Gopalan said. Earlier this month, around 8.32 lakh deceased voters, 10.07 lakh shifted or permanently absent voters, and 1.58 lakh duplicate registrations were 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)
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