BJD Alleges 27 Lakh Voters Excluded From Odisha Rolls

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has alleged major discrepancies in the draft electoral roll for Odisha, published on July 6 following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. BJD senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra claimed that approximately 27 lakh voters were excluded, a figure that contradicts the election authorities' report of 20.12 to 20.14 lakh deletions. The party noted that the total voter count dropped from over 3.4 crore in 2025 to 3.13 crore in the current draft.

The BJD attributes these exclusions to inadequate training of Booth Level Officers and overly complex verification processes. Meanwhile, the Congress party expressed concern over 12 lakh deletions, arguing that many affected individuals are migrant workers unable to return to the state for verification.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defended the SIR process, asserting that the deletions targeted non-Indian citizens, specifically Bangladeshis. BJP officials claimed these individuals had obtained identification under the previous government's administration.