Majhi Defends SIR, Stresses Voter List Accuracy

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday backed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, calling it an important step towards ensuring transparent elections and maintaining public faith in democracy.

In a post on X, Majhi said free and fair elections depend on accurate voter lists and the protection of every eligible citizen’s voting rights. He noted that duplicate registrations, outdated information and the inclusion of deceased persons can affect the reliability of electoral records.

The Chief Minister said the SIR exercise helps identify discrepancies, remove duplicate entries and update voter details following deaths or changes in residence. However, he stressed that the process must also ensure that no eligible voter is wrongly excluded from the electoral rolls.

Majhi described accurate voter records as essential to electoral fairness, equal representation and the protection of every citizen’s right to vote. He added that the exercise must be conducted carefully and impartially to strengthen confidence in the democratic process.

His remarks come amid an ongoing political debate over the nationwide revision of electoral rolls undertaken by the Election Commission of India.

In Odisha, the final electoral roll published following the SIR process contains approximately 3.16 crore voters.