Odisha CEO asks EROs to undertake verification before deletions from electoral rolls

Odisha Chief Electoral Officer R S Gopalan on Monday said he has asked EROs to undertake a proper verification before names are deleted from the electoral rolls. The instruction has been issued to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) of all districts after the BLOs identified around 9.8 lakh names across the state for deletion from the rolls on account of deaths and shifting of residences. ''We have asked all the EROs to undertake proper verification before deleting the names from the electoral rolls,'' Gopalan told reporters, adding that the BLOs have submitted their reports on absent voters. Booth Level Officers are not authorised to delete names from the electoral rolls, he said. ''Usually, 7-9 lakh names are deleted from the lists every year in Odisha on account of deaths and shifting of residences. This time, around 9.8 lakh people have come under the scanner as the BLOs have already started the mapping process ahead of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise,'' he said. A letter issued by Additional Chief Electoral Officer-cum-Special Secretary Sushanta Kumar Mishra to the EROs stated that nearly 9.8 lakh names have already been shortlisted for deletion since the commencement of the elector mapping process. The EROs have been asked to undertake a thorough verification for deletions, particularly for deceased voters, the letter said. In March, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had informed the assembly that approximately 7.68 lakh names were deleted from June 2025 to March 22 this year. The CEO's office has activated a toll-free helpline (1950) for voters to check whether their names are on the lists or not, raise complaints or seek assistance, an official said.