ARINDAM GANGULY, OP
Bhubaneswar: A few days after the Election Commission of India (ECI) directed the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of 20 states and Union Territories (UTs) to run a special drive to enrol voters left out during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)-2026, the state government has decided to hold a three-day special voter enrolment campaign from October 7 to 9 to ensure that such eligible voters get another opportunity to register.
The ECI has maintained that the revision is aimed at ensuring accurate electoral rolls by identifying eligible voters while removing duplicate, deceased, shifted and otherwise ineligible entries. The exercise has, however, also triggered political concerns nationally over the possibility of genuine voters being left out, making the availability of claims and objections an important safeguard. In Odisha, the special three-day drive will specifically address cases where eligible voters may have been missed during the SIR process. It will also cover young people who turned 18 by October 1, 2026, and are eligible for inclusion in the electoral rolls. During the campaign, eligible voters can approach their respective BLOs and submit Form 6 for inclusion of their names. The election authorities have taken steps to identify voters who may have been wrongly excluded during the SIR exercise. Lists of persons marked as dead, shifted, absent or duplicate will be published on the website of the CEO, Odisha, as well as on the respective district websites.
Voters will be able to check these lists and file claims and objections if they find that their names have been wrongly removed or incorrectly classified. Recognised political parties will also receive the lists and can verify the entries through their representatives and submit claims and objections.
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