Odisha Electoral Roll Revision Enters Final Phase, Final Voter List to Be Published on September 21

Bhubaneswar: The special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Odisha has reached its concluding phase, with the deadline for submitting claims and objections ending on Wednesday. The authorities will now focus on completing hearings, verification and disposal of pending cases before publishing the final voter list on September 21.

According to the Chief Electoral Officer’s office, the notice and case disposal process is scheduled to be completed by September 17. The final electoral roll will be prepared after all claims and objections are examined and necessary corrections are made.

During the revision exercise, notices have been issued to 58,36,430 voters, of which 58,36,374 have been served successfully. Hearings have already been completed in a substantial number of cases, following which 54,21,872 voters have been retained in the electoral roll.

So far, 3,09,71,941 eligible voters have been considered for inclusion in the final roll. Officials said the figure could rise as the remaining claims, objections and verification cases are processed.

The authorities have also warned that names may be removed from the electoral roll if voters fail to submit valid documents or provide accurate information during the verification process.

The revision has received considerable participation from people seeking to register as voters for the first time. As many as 2,79,315 Form-6 applications have been submitted for inclusion of new names in the electoral roll.

Meanwhile, 53,625 Form-7 applications have been received seeking deletion of duplicate registrations, multiple entries and names of deceased voters. Another 1,97,952 Form-8 applications have been submitted for corrections in voter details, including names, addresses and age, as well as requests concerning the allocation of family members to a common polling station.

The verification of applications and notices is currently being carried out by Assistant Electoral Registration Officers. Chief Electoral Officer R. S. Gopalan has instructed officials to ensure that every eligible citizen is included while preventing ineligible entries from remaining on the rolls.

As part of the awareness drive, Electoral Literacy Clubs have also been activated in educational institutions across Odisha. Various activities, including debates, quizzes and poster-making competitions, are being conducted to educate young and first-time voters about registration and participation in the electoral process.

The CEO’s office said the publication of the final electoral roll on September 21 will mark the completion of the ongoing revision exercise and help ensure a more accurate and transparent voter list in the state.