SIR Timeline Extended by 15 Days in Odisha Amid Floods

Bhubaneswar: The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Odisha has been extended by 15 days in view of the severe flood situation affecting several districts, Chief Electoral Officer S Gopalan said.

Gopalan said the Election Commission has extended the deadline for filing claims and objections from August 4 to August 19, while the date for final publication of the electoral rolls has been shifted from September 6 to September 21.

Odisha is now affected by serious floods, with 19 districts affected so far. The entire government machinery is engaged in flood relief and rehabilitation work, he said.

He added that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been instructed to collect forms from eligible voters while the disposal of claims and objections is being carried out simultaneously.

According to the CEO, notices have been issued to around 12 lakh voters whose names appeared in the 2025 electoral roll but could not be mapped with the 2002 electoral roll.

Gopalan further said around 46 lakh voters have been identified with logical anomalies in their details. He clarified that these voters will not be deleted, and only necessary corrections will be made to their entries.

Deletion will occur only in essential cases where the voter is found to be not qualified, he said.