BJD raises concerns about possible removal of a significant number of voters in Odisha and questions the process followed by the Election Commission of India.

During a press conference held in Bhubaneswar on Monday, the opposition Biju Janata Dal expressed serious concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission of India. Their main issue was the alleged deletion of a large number of voters' names from the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision exercise. This concern was not limited to Odisha, as similar reports of mass deletions have emerged from other states as well.

Debi Prasad Mishra, the senior vice president of BJD, highlighted that the Election Commission is responsible for carrying out an annual revision of electoral rolls in January. However, this year's revision has resulted in the removal of over 1 million voters from Odisha's electoral rolls. This is a significant increase from the usual number of 700,000 deletions, raising questions about the transparency and accuracy of the process.

Mishra also expressed concern that more names may be deleted during the upcoming SIR in Odisha. It was noted that the SIR has not been conducted in Odisha since 2002. In fact, a BJD delegation had met with the Election Commission of India on August 19, 2025, to raise concerns about the potential removal of names of people who migrate outside the state for work or livelihood.

Despite these efforts, allegations have surfaced that over 50 million voters have been removed from the electoral rolls in 12 states and Union Territories through the SIR conducted by the ECI. Prasanna Acharya, another senior BJD leader, expressed concern about a letter issued by the Election Commission two days ago. The letter stated that around 1 million voters have been removed from the rolls within just one year and four months, despite being on the rolls earlier.

This has further raised doubts and suspicions about the process and its transparency. Acharya urged the government and Election Commission to address these concerns promptly and ensure that the voting rights of citizens are not compromised. According to a letter from the Additional Chief Electoral Officer of Odisha, about 9.8 lakh voter names have been deleted since the elector mapping process began.

There have also been numerous complaints of wrongful deletions, including cases where voters were present at their residences and instances where Booth Level Officers did not conduct field visits or proper verifications before removing names from the electoral rolls. These developments have only added to the growing apprehensions and doubts surrounding the SIR and its impact on the upcoming elections.