Bhubaneswar, Aug 1 (PTI) The Election Commission of India has revised the schedule for the ongoing SIR exercise in Odisha in the wake of the ongoing floods in the state, giving voters an additional fortnight to file claims and objections, and pushing the final publication of the electoral rolls to September 21, an official said on Saturday.
The last date for filing claims and objections has been extended from August 4 to August 19, according to a notification issued by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Friday.
Consequently, the period for issuing notices, scrutiny of applications, hearings and disposal of claims and objections has also been extended from the earlier September 2 deadline to September 17.
The final electoral roll, originally scheduled to be published on September 6, will now be released on September 21. July 1, 2026, will continue to be the qualifying date for the revision exercise.
Odisha CEO R S Gopalan said, “Nearly 19 of Odisha’s 30 districts are hit by floods and the entire government machinery, including the BLOs and other staff engaged in relief and rehabilitation operations. Therefore, the ECI has extended the timeline for the SIR exercise.” The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, which included house-to-house enumeration between May 30 and June 28, led to the exclusion of around 20.14 lakh electors from the draft electoral roll published on July 5.
The opposition BJD welcomed the Election Commission’s decision, saying it would help protect the rights of eligible voters.
“The extension is a significant step towards safeguarding the democratic rights of lakhs of eligible voters and ensuring that no genuine citizen is deprived of the constitutional right to vote,” the party said in a statement.
A BJD delegation led by senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra had on Thursday submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission seeking at least a 30-day extension of the deadline for filing claims and objections.
The party had argued that the earlier timeline was inadequate given the large number of voters whose names required correction, inclusion or restoration. PTI AAM SOM AAM RG
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