Bhubaneswar: The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha, has appointed ten senior IAS officers as Electoral Roll Observers to oversee the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the state, with July 1, 2026 as the qualifying date.
The appointments were made through an official communication issued by Additional Chief Electoral Officer-cum-Special Secretary to the Government, Sushanta Kumar Mishra, under the powers vested in the Election Commission of India under Article 324 of the Constitution.
The appointed observers are Rajesh Pravakar Patil, Aravind Agrawal, Balwant Singh, B. Parameswaran, Bijay Ketan Upadhaya, D. Prasantha Kumar Reddy, Sudhansu Mohan Samal, Rashmita Panda, Md. Sadique Alam and Sangram Keshari Mohapatra. They represent various departments, including Cooperation, Higher Education, Tourism, ST & SC Development, MSME, Public Enterprises, Industries (IDCO), and the offices of the Revenue Divisional Commissioners.
As part of the revision process, the observers will undertake three rounds of field visits. The first will coincide with the receipt of claims and objections; the second with their disposal by Electoral Registration Officers; and the third with verification by Booth Level Officers, printing of supplements, and final publication of the electoral rolls.
The CEO’s office has directed the observers to inspect polling stations in Assembly constituencies rather than limiting visits to district headquarters. They will also interact with MPs, MLAs, recognised political parties and members of the public to address grievances related to the revision process.
Observers have been instructed to examine constituencies that report unusually high voter additions or deletions and to submit detailed reports to the CEO after each visit.
Meanwhile, the CEO has convened a meeting of all Electoral Roll Observers in Bhubaneswar on July 4 to brief them on their roles and responsibilities and review their proposed tour plans.
