Odisha Elections 2025: Chief Electoral Officer Holds Key Meeting on Voter List Revision

Bhubaneswar: Chief Electoral Officer R. S. Gopalan convened a crucial meeting today with representatives from various political parties to discuss the revision of the voter list for the upcoming 2025 elections and to ensure the creation of a new, error-free final voter list.

During the meeting, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Satrughna Kar provided a detailed presentation via PowerPoint, highlighting the extensive efforts made by block-level officers, who conducted door-to-door visits from August 20 to October 18 to revise the voter list. The number of electoral registration officers has increased from 58 to 133, with 119 assigned to cover all assembly constituencies and 14 dedicated to the remaining constituencies.

In addition, the number of polling stations has risen from 37,809 to 38,067, with 58 new polling stations created. Changes to the locations of 14 polling stations were approved by the Election Commission based on recommendations from the District Election Officers, and the names of 15 polling stations have also been updated.

The integrated draft electoral roll is set to be published on October 29, with claims and objections accepted from that date until November 28. Four ‘Special Campaign’ programs will be conducted during the voter list revision period, scheduled for November 2, 10, 16, and 24. On these days, booth-level officers will be stationed at polling booths across the state to assist voters in registering their names on the voter list. Senior district officials will also visit these special campaign programs as roll observers, with 11 senior IS officers, including three RDCs, appointed as roll supervisors in different districts.

All claims and objections are expected to be resolved by December 24. By January 1, 2025, the names of deceased individuals and incorrectly listed names will be removed, with the final publication of the electoral roll planned for January 6, 2025.

Voters, particularly young individuals, are encouraged to register from home by downloading the ‘Voters Helpline App’ from Google Play, which has facilitated online voter registration in Odisha. Additional CEO Sri Kar emphasized the simplicity and ease of the online registration process, outlining the prescribed forms for various needs: Form No-6 for adding names, Form No-6A for NRI voter registration, Form No-7 for name removal, and Form No-8 for correcting residence or photographs.

Gopalan urged political parties to focus on including new voters in the voter list, emphasizing the need to provide all necessary facilities for individuals over the age of 18 to submit their application forms and to encourage new voters to register online.

Representatives from various political parties, including Mr. Bijay Naik from the BJD, Sandipta Das from the Aam Aadmi Party, and Madhusudan Yadav from the Bahujan Samaj Party, attended the meeting, alongside Additional Chief Electoral Officer Sri Mihir Mohanty and other officials. The collaborative efforts aim to enhance voter participation and ensure a smooth electoral process in 2025.