Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government’s Home (Elections) Department has raised concerns over large-scale deletion of voters’ names and issued fresh instructions to all Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to tighten verification before any further action.

In a recent letter, the department said that around 9.8 lakh deletions have been carried out by EROs since the start of the elector mapping exercise. However, it noted that a significant number of complaints have been received alleging wrongful deletion of names. These include cases where voters were found to be present despite their names being removed, and instances where Booth Level Officers (BLOs) reportedly failed to conduct field visits or proper verification.

Taking note of these concerns, the department said nearly 2 lakh Form-7 applications received after April 2, 2026, have been put on hold as per the instructions of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha.

The letter outlines detailed guidelines that must be followed before deleting any voter:

• In cases involving deceased voters, deletion should be done only after proper verification and following due procedure. Ideally, Form-7 must be submitted by a family member, and a notice should be served at the last known address.
• For Duplicate Shifted Elector (DSE) cases, thorough verification is mandatory. Notices must be issued in cases of suspected duplication before any action is taken.
• For Form-7 applications, EROs or their authorised representatives must physically verify at least 50 per cent of applications received after April 2 by contacting applicants directly.

The department has also directed that all complaints regarding wrongful deletions received through email, call centres, or grievance systems must be thoroughly investigated.

In cases where deletion is still in process, the application should be rolled back through the District Election Officer (DEO) login. If a voter’s name has already been wrongly deleted, it must be restored immediately with due care.

Further, EROs have been asked to submit a written certification after completing the verification process, confirming that at least half of the cases have been physically verified and all procedures have been followed.

Only after this certification will the online system for electoral roll updates be reopened for the concerned Assembly Constituencies.