Odisha officials meet to ensure error-free voter list for 2025
Editor
Bhubaneswar, Oct 21: Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) R.S. Gopalan held a detailed discussion today with representatives of various political parties to finalize the voter list for 2025 and ensure its accuracy. The objective is to prepare an updated and error-free electoral roll for the upcoming elections.
Additional Chief Electoral Officer Satrughna Kar provided insights during the meeting, highlighting that block-level officers conducted door-to-door verification from August 20 to October 18. The number of electoral registration officers has been increased from 58 to 133 for better coverage. Of these, 119 officers were assigned to 119 assembly constituencies, while 14 were allocated to the remaining 28 constituencies.
The number of polling stations has also increased from 37,809 to 38,067, with 58 new stations added. Additionally, the locations of 14 polling stations were relocated, and 15 polling stations were renamed with the Election Commission’s approval.
The integrated draft voter list will be released on October 29, and voters can raise claims and objections until November 28. To facilitate the process, four special campaigns will be organized on November 2, 10, 16, and 24. On these dates, booth-level officers will assist citizens at polling stations. Senior officials, including 11 IAS officers and 3 Revenue Divisional Commissioners (RDCs), will act as supervisors to monitor the revision process.
All objections will be resolved by December 24, and incorrect entries or deceased voters will be removed by January 1, 2025. The final voter list will be published on January 6, 2025.
Voters are encouraged to use the ‘Voters Helpline App’ for online registration, especially targeting first-time voters. Forms such as Form 6 (adding names), Form 6A (for NRIs), Form 7 (removal of names), and Form 8 (for corrections) are available for submission. Odisha ranks highly in online voter registrations, making the process simple and accessible.
The CEO urged political parties to focus on including new voters and ensure that eligible citizens, especially those turning 18 soon, register promptly.
Representatives from various political parties attended the meeting, including Bijay Naik (BJD), Sandipta Das (AAP), and Madhusudan Yadav (BSP). Additional CEO Mihir Mohanty and other officials were also present.
