Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has defended the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, calling it necessary to protect voters' rights and maintain confidence in the electoral process.
His remarks came as opposition parties demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the cancellation of the entire exercise, alleging that around 13 crore eligible voters had been deleted from the rolls.
In a social media post made hours before an opposition protest march in Delhi, Majhi said clean and accurate electoral rolls were central to free and fair elections. He said the exercise must be implemented fairly and with due diligence so that legitimate voters were not wrongly excluded.
The Chief Minister noted that the Special Intensive Revision is a constructive measure to uphold the integrity of the electoral system. He added that effective implementation with fairness helps ensure that voter records remain reliable and that the democratic process commands public trust.
Majhi explained that duplicate entries, outdated records, and the names of deceased persons remaining on electoral rolls can undermine accuracy. Maintaining reliable voter lists is not merely an administrative necessity but is essential to safeguarding electoral integrity and public confidence in democracy.
He pointed out that the revision helps identify discrepancies, remove duplicate entries, update records following deaths or changes in residence, and ensure that electoral rolls accurately reflect eligible voters. At the same time, he emphasized that the process must protect legitimate voters from wrongful exclusion.
Concluding his remarks, Majhi stressed that these considerations go to the heart of electoral fairness, equal representation, and the sanctity of every vote, reiterating that the initiative should keep voter rolls accurate while protecting voting rights.