Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 19: As the Election Commission of India (ECI) prepares to launch a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Odisha this September—the first such exercise in the state since 2002—Opposition leaders are raising serious concerns over the intentions and timing of the move.

While the ECI insists the process is routine, Opposition voices argue that the Odisha revision is being politically orchestrated to justify alleged voter list manipulation in poll-bound Bihar.

Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer R.S. Gopalan announced on Monday that the SIR will begin in September 2025, with the final updated voter roll to be published on January 7, 2026.

The timing has sparked backlash from leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc, who continue to protest both inside and outside Parliament over the ongoing SIR process in Bihar, which they claim is being used to systematically disenfranchise voters ahead of state Assembly elections.

Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, along with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, is currently leading the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar to highlight alleged irregularities in the voter registration process.

Congress leader Udit Raj told that the SIR in Odisha is not inherently problematic but appears to serve as a cover for irregularities in Bihar. “There are no elections there right now. If they do it there, it’s fine. But here [in Bihar], the timing is suspect. How can you verify 8 crore voters in one month? We are not against SIR, but this government hasn’t even conducted the Census,” he said.

He further accused the BJP-led government of using the Odisha revision as a smokescreen: “I think it is being done to justify whatever wrongdoings they are committing in Bihar and elsewhere. This is an attempt to legitimise vote theft.”

Echoing similar concerns, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said the process in Bihar appears politically motivated. “The way people’s names are being removed from the rolls and the way the constitutional mandate is being undermined, it's clear that the SIR is not about clean records, but about pushing an agenda,” she said.

However, she urged the process in Odisha to remain above political influence. “Whether it’s in Odisha or anywhere else, it must be fair, non-political, and democratic. It should not be a tool to silence or disenfranchise those without power or influence.”

With the Bihar Assembly elections approaching and the SIR process drawing intense scrutiny, the ECI faces growing pressure to ensure transparency, neutrality, and public trust in its electoral roll revision exercises across all states.