Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and Rajya Sabha member Sasmit Patra on Tuesday (April 21, 2026) urged the Election Commission of India (EC) to ensure that voters’ names are not deleted without a rigorous, documented and independently verifiable field inquiry.
The development comes a day after reports citing a letter from Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) R.S. Gopalan to Electoral Registration Officers on April 18, on the removal of 9.8 lakh voters from the State electoral roll since the commencement of the elector mapping process ahead of the special intensive revision exercise.
In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Mr. Patra stated: “It has been administratively acknowledged that approximately 9.8 lakh electors have been identified for potential deletion during the preliminary verification phase... the scale, pattern, and process underlying these proposed deletions raise serious and substantive concerns.”
“There now exists prima facie evidence derived from multiple independent reports as well as statements attributable to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Odisha, suggesting procedural irregularities and a real risk of wrongful disenfranchisement.”
The Odisha CEO had on Monday said his office had received over 2 lakh complaints regarding the removal of voters. He has asked Electoral Registration Officers in all districts to verify the matter.
