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Call for Transparency in Electoral Roll Revision

Bhubaneswar: The BJD and Congress parties in Odisha have jointly called for complete transparency regarding the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, set to commence next month after a two-decade hiatus.

Both parties have indicated that they will protest if the process resembles the controversial electoral roll revision seen in Bihar.

In Bihar, over 6.5 million enumeration forms were excluded from the draft electoral rolls during the initial phase of the special intensive revision, reducing the number of registered voters from approximately 79 million to 72.4 million.

RS Gopalan, Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer, confirmed that all political parties have been briefed about the upcoming revision, which is scheduled to begin in September.

The revision will also see an increase in polling booths across the state, from 38,000 to 45,000, aimed at enhancing voter accessibility and convenience.

Gopalan noted that the last intensive revision of electoral rolls in Odisha took place in 2002.

Both the BJD and Congress have expressed concerns regarding the transparency of this upcoming exercise.

"We support the SIR if it is conducted impartially. However, a Bihar-like situation would raise serious concerns. Clarity on the SIR process is essential," stated BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty.

He emphasized that while the Election Commission of India is responsible for the revision, political parties are showing heightened interest.

"Our leader Naveen Patnaik will make a decision when the time is right. It is crucial that all legitimate voters can exercise their democratic rights," Mohanty added.

BJD MLA and former minister P K Deb warned that the party would not remain silent if there were attempts to remove voters from the list under the guise of the SIR, as allegedly occurred in Bihar.

He questioned the delay in conducting the SIR, despite provisions for it every decade.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das expressed suspicions that the BJP might be attempting to orchestrate 'vote theft' in Odisha through the SIR.

"The government's intentions have been revealed after the Supreme Court mandated the Election Commission to disclose details of voters excluded during the Bihar SIR and to publish the list," Das remarked.

The Election Commission recently released the names of 6.5 million individuals who were removed from the draft electoral rolls in Bihar.

"The Congress advocates for the inclusion of eligible voters and the exclusion of ineligible ones. However, the Election Commission's actions, which seem to favor the BJP, are unsatisfactory," Das claimed.

He warned of a statewide movement if there are any alterations to the voter lists in Odisha.