Bhubaneswar: To ensure error-free voters’ lists and boost voter turnout ahead of the upcoming Panchayat (rural) and Urban Local Body (ULB) elections, the Odisha State Election Commission (SEC) has announced a series of key measures, including the deployment of a specialised de-duplication software tool and a comprehensive door-to-door survey.
Following a crucial review meeting with collectors across 30 districts, Secretary of the State Election Commission Santosh Kumar Das outlined the Commission’s roadmap for preparing accurate electoral rolls, digitising election management, and scheduling the local body polls.
Explaining the rationale behind conducting surveys instead of relying solely on table-top splitting of Election Commission of India (ECI) voter lists, Das highlighted that past administrative splitting led to severe errors and legal disputes. “Earlier, when ECI voter rolls were split into ward-wise and booth-wise lists through table-top exercises, many errors surfaced. Voters from one ward ended up in another, and family members were scattered across different booths. This caused inconvenience to voters, led to complaints and court cases, and ultimately reduced voter turnout,” Das explained.
To rectify this, the SEC will send verification teams to inspect all 45,258 polling booths across the state. “Each booth verification team will consist of up to three members, led by a Booth Level Officer (BLO) and supported by local field functionaries such as Anganwadi and ASHA workers, will be formed by July 31, followed by training. The door-to-door survey will take place from October 26 to November 7. Following draft publication and disposal of objections, the final electoral roll will be published by February 10,” he added.
The State Election Commission is also modernising administrative workflows for candidate filing and facility preparedness. The entire nomination process for Panchayat and Municipal elections will be automated. Real-time daily tracking will monitor nominations filed, withdrawn, and the final list of valid candidates. Standard inspection formats will be issued to District Collectors and Block Development Officers (BDOs) to verify polling booths, strong rooms, and counting centres six months in advance.
Addressing queries regarding the election schedule, Das noted that national census operations are scheduled to take place between February and the first week of March. “Census operations will begin in February and run until the first week of March. Following the completion of census activities, the Election Commission will issue the official election notification after the first week of March. Elections are expected to be conducted in April or May,” Das confirmed.
The timeline
Team Formation: By July 31.
Door-to-Door Survey: October 26 to November 7.
Final Voter List Publication: By February 10.
Elections: Likely late April or early May 2027.
To address long-standing issues of individuals being registered as voters in multiple locations, the SEC will deploy an advanced software tool during the voter list revision process. “If duplicate voters exist due to errors across different locations — whether in rural or urban areas — we will use a de-duplication software tool to identify and remove them, significantly reducing the number of duplicate entries,” he told reporters.
The SEC is also focusing on strengthening logistical readiness. The state currently has around 8,000 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), but estimates suggest a need for over 12,000 units for the large-scale polls. Arrangements are underway to procure additional EVMs.Discussions have also been held on repairing damaged ballot boxes and procuring new ones to ensure all equipment is in optimal condition.
