The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha, has appointed ten senior IAS officers as Electoral Roll Observers for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The revision will use July 1, 2026, as the qualifying date.
The appointments have been made under the powers of the Election Commission of India under Article 324 of the Constitution. The observers come from different government departments and Revenue Divisional Commissioner offices.
They will conduct three rounds of field visits. The first visit will take place during the filing of claims and objections. The second will focus on the disposal of these claims by Electoral Registration Officers. The final visit will cover verification by Booth Level Officers, printing of supplements, and publication of the final electoral roll.
The officers have been instructed to visit polling stations rather than remain only at the district headquarters. They will also meet MPs, MLAs, political party representatives, and members of the public to hear concerns about the voter list.
The CEO has also directed the observers to closely examine areas with unusually high voter additions or deletions. A review meeting with all observers is scheduled for July 4 in Bhubaneswar to discuss their responsibilities and tour plans.