Odisha SIR: Decision on claims, objections to be taken by Sep 17, final voter list on Sep 21

Bhubaneswar: The final decision on claims and objections submitted during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Odisha will be taken by September 17, and the voter list will be published on September 21, an official statement said.

The deadline for filing claims and objections for registration and revision ended on Wednesday, they said.

A statement issued by the office of Odisha's chief electoral officer (CEO) said the final decision on all claims and objections will be taken by September 17 and the final voter list will be published on September 21.


The CEO said that till August 19, notices have been issued to 58.36 lakh people.

"Till now, a total of 3.09 crore eligible voters in the state have been considered for inclusion in the final voter list," it said, adding that the number may further increase as the hearing process is ongoing.

Also read: SIR verification higher in minority-dominated Delhi constituencies

Officials made it clear that the electors to whom notices have been issued but have been unable to submit the required valid certificates or correct information will be removed from the voter list.

The SIR process also witnessed great enthusiasm among the youths to add their names to the voter list. A total of 2.79 lakh people applied for new name registration through Form-6.

Also, 53,625 applications have been received through Form-7 for voters whose names are in two places to remove their names from one place and put them in another, and for deleting the names of deceased persons, the statement said.

"As many as 1.97 lakh voters have applied through Form-8 for the names of all members of a family to be put together in one polling station, along with the name, address, age or other corrections in the voter list," it said.

Chief Electoral Officer R S Gopalan said he has directed officials to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out of the voter list and that no ineligible name remains on the rolls.

"The final list, which will be published on September 21, is expected to make the upcoming election process cleaner and stronger," Gopalan said.

The opposition BJD, in a memorandum to the CEO, urged him to further extend the deadline of the claims and objection phase by one more month in view of the prevailing flood situation in Odisha.

"Under these circumstances, it has become extremely difficult for electoral officials, voters and booth-level agents to complete the verification and file claims and objections within the existing timeline," BJD senior vice president Debi Prasad Mishra said.

He added that the extension of the timeline for filing claims and objections is essential for preparing a transparent and impartial electoral roll.