Bhubaneswar: Amid growing concerns over the exclusion of eligible voters following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), former Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Abhay on Sunday criticised the exercise, calling it inherently flawed and responsible for large-scale disenfranchisement.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the former top cop asserted that the SIR, as conceived and implemented, led to the disenfranchisement of “crores of Indian citizens.” Emphasising the need for institutional responsibility, Abhay, who served as the DGP in Odisha from November 2019 to December 2021, demanded that immediate corrective measures be taken and accountability fixed for the administrative lapses.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) ,as conceived and implemented ,was wrong and led to disenfranchisement of crores of Indian citizens.
Corrective measures must be taken and accountability fixed.
#SIR
— Abhay ଅଭୟ अभय IPS ( Retd) (@abhayips86) October 4, 2026
The criticism comes against the backdrop of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) SIR exercise, which aimed to purge duplicate, shifted, and deceased entries while updating voter lists ahead of upcoming electoral cycles. However, ground-level implementation across several regions faced significant heat due to claims of arbitrary deletions, lack of adequate notice to genuine voters, and procedural oversights by ground personnel during field verifications.
Chief Electoral Officer Launches Special Drive for Corrective Action
In response to the gaps identified post-revision, the Odisha Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office has ordered a targeted special drive across the state to re-enroll eligible citizens left off the current rolls, alongside first-time and young voters.
The directive, issued by Additional Chief Electoral Officer-cum-Special Secretary Sushanta Kumar Mishra in line with guidelines from the ECI, has been conveyed to all District Election Officers, Collectors, Municipal Commissioners and Electoral Registration Officers, who have been asked to treat the exercise as a top priority.
To ensure an accurate and inclusive electoral roll, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been instructed to cross-reference current voter lists with pre-SIR records to pinpoint individuals, whose names were previously registered but omitted from current versions.
Key Components of the Drive
Door-to-Door Verification: BLOs will conduct house-to-house visits to physically verify missing individuals and assist them in filling out Form 6 for fresh enrolment.
Weekly Targets: Each BLO is required to identify and facilitate at least 20 to 25 left-out voters per week, with a deadline to conclude the entire campaign within a month.
Political Party Involvement: Draft lists prepared by BLOs will be shared with Booth Level Agents (BLAs) representing recognised political parties to ensure transparency before submission to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).
Focus on Marginalised Groups: Simultaneously, special voter registration camps are scheduled to run at local polling booths, along with targeted outreach at night shelters, labour colonies, and settlements housing homeless or marginalised populations.
To maximise reach, District Election Officers (DEOs) and EROs have been instructed to run awareness drives via educational institutions and SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) programmes. The progress of the corrective drive will be continuously monitored and reviewed across CEO, DEO, and ERO tiers to prevent further omissions.