Deletion of over 2 million voters from Odisha rolls raises fears of selective disenfranchisement
New Delhi, : The deletion of more than 20 lakh names from the draft electoral rolls in the Indian state of Odisha has triggered serious concerns over the transparency of India’s electoral process, with opposition parties demanding to know which communities and social groups have been disproportionately affected by the exercise.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Election Commission of India (ECI) published the draft electoral rolls after completing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), reducing the number of registered voters from 3.33 crore to 3.13 crore.
Election officials claimed that the deleted names belonged to deceased persons, those who had shifted elsewhere or remained absent during the enumeration, duplicate entries and individuals who failed to submit enumeration forms.
However, political parties questioned the scale and manner of the deletions. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) alleged that more than 27 lakh names had actually been removed and accused the authorities of concealing the deletion of another seven lakh voters. The Congress termed the exercise a conspiracy aimed at disenfranchising voters opposed to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Political analysts said the Election Commission has yet to disclose a detailed demographic breakdown of the deleted voters, raising legitimate questions over whether members of particular religious, caste, tribal or economically disadvantaged communities have been disproportionately removed from the electoral rolls.
They stressed that transparency regarding the social composition of the deleted names is essential to dispel allegations of politically motivated voter suppression.
The analysts maintained that the large-scale deletion of voters, coupled with similar electoral revision exercises in other Indian states, has intensified concerns over the credibility and impartiality of India’s electoral institutions. They urged the Election Commission to publish a complete community-wise, district-wise and category-wise analysis of the deleted names and ensure that no eligible voter is denied the constitutional right to participate in the democratic process.
