Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government’s Home (Elections) Department has directed strict verification of voter deletions following widespread complaints that many genuine and living voters were wrongly removed from the electoral rolls.
According to an official communication from the department, approximately 9.8 lakh names have been deleted by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) since the commencement of the elector mapping process. However, a large number of complaints have been received regarding wrongful deletion of names — including cases where electors were found to be alive and instances where Booth Level Officers (BLOs) had neither conducted field visits nor carried out proper verification before deleting names.
In view of these concerns, the department has instructed that around 2 lakh Form-7 applications received after 2nd April 2026 be kept on hold as per the instructions of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha.
As per the notification issued by the Additional Chief Electoral Officer-cum-Special Secretary to Odisha government, deletions of deceased voters should only be made after thorough verification. Family members or close relatives must submit Form-7 for deletion of a deceased person’s name. If a voter’s name has been deleted, proper intimation must be sent to the concerned address. Besides, suspicious, duplicate or erroneous entries should be issued notices and properly verified. Physical verification is now mandatory in at least 50% of Form-7 cases. BLOs have been asked to conduct proper ground-level checks. All complaints received through the 1950 call centre, email or other channels must be treated seriously and investigated promptly.
Every year, the routine revision of electoral rolls sees around 7 lakh names deleted, mostly due to death, migration or duplication. This year, however, the sharp rise to 9.8 lakh deletions has triggered concern among voters and the Election Department.
