3 min readBhubhneshwarUpdated: Apr 20, 2026 09:35 PM IST
Amid allegations of ‘wrongful deletion’ of around 9.8 lakh names during electoral mapping before the Odisha leg of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the chief electoral officer (CEO) has ordered strict verification before preparing the final roll.
Officials in the CEO office confirmed that a substantial number of complaints have been received regarding wrongful deletion of names, including cases where electors were found to be present and instances where booth level officers (BLO) had neither conducted field visits nor carried out proper verification prior to deletion. The elector mapping process was carried out from January to March.
Following voter concerns, the CEO office has received around two lakh Form-7 applications (objection form for proposed inclusion/deletion of name in existing roll) after April 2, which have been kept on hold.
The electoral registration officers (EROs) have been asked to produce certificates confirming that at least 50 percent of the objection cases have been physically verified and that all prescribed procedures have been duly followed prior to deletion of names.
Names are deleted due to death, shifting of electors, duplicate or doubtful matches, and other reasons.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Odisha CEO RS Gopalan said that since nearly 2 lakh Form-7 applications are pending, the EROs have been asked to conduct thorough verification.
“Usually at least 7-9 lakh names are generally deleted from the electoral roll every year due to various reasons. The number is slightly high because of door-to-door mapping by the BLOs ahead of the SIR exercise,” said Gopalan.
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As per the CEO, the BLOs, during the elector mapping process, found names of dead persons, people who have shifted, or cases of double entry. “The BLOs can’t delete these names. They will have to get the Form-7 signed by the family members of such people or from neighbours of such people in case the entire family is not there. Since two lakh Form-7 have been received by us, the EROs have been asked to properly verify these cases,” Gopalan added.
A letter issued by the additional CEO to all EROs stated that in death cases, names of deceased electors shall be deleted only after due verification and following prescribed procedure. “Prior to deletion, notice must be served at the last known address of the elector,” the additional CEO said.
Similarly, in cases of suspected duplicates or doubtful matches, the EROs have been asked to issue notices to the concerned electors and follow due process before taking any action. The EROs have also been asked to personally contact applicants who have filed objections.
Complaints received through email, 1950 Call Centre, NGRS, or any other mode will also be ‘mandatorily’ and thoroughly inquired into, while in cases where deletion has already been carried out wrongfully, the elector shall be re-enrolled immediately with due diligence and care, the CEO’s office told the EROs.
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SIR in Odisha was scheduled to start from April 1 but has been deferred due to the ongoing elections in five states. Officials said the SIR will start in May.
