Latest news with #Gopalan
New Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Have clarified all queries of BJD, Cong; Odisha SIR to start next month: CEO
BHUBANESWAR: Days after the BJD announced that it will move the Orissa High Court over large-scale irregularities in 2024 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state, chief electoral officer (CEO) of Odisha RS Gopalan on Monday said the Commission has already responded to the points raised by the BJD twice. The CEO also said that the special intensive revision (SIR) of voters list will be conducted in the state from next month. Addressing a media-conference here, Gopalan said the ECI has responded to all issues raised by political parties, especially the BJD and state Congress, and assured the public of a fair and transparent electoral process. 'Baseless allegations should not be made to undermine the credibility of the Election Commission or shake the public's trust in the democratic process,' he added. The BJD had submitted memorandum to the ECI in November last year alleging that there were large-scale irregularities in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections including discrepancies in number of votes cast in the EVM and those counted. The party had also raised the differences in the number of votes in the Assembly segments and Parliamentary constituencies. The party has announced that it will move the Orissa High Court on the issue as no steps have been initiated by the poll body to satisfactorily address its concerns. While stating that all the queries of BJD and also Congress have been responded to in detail, Gopalan said the first point raised by the BJD was about discrepancies in the number of votes in the EVM and after counting. It has been clarified earlier that in such cases counting is done taking into account the VVPAT slips. 'Some discrepancies occur due to non-deletion of mock poll data in a control unit. Counting is done through VVPAT slips in case the margin is less than the total votes polled in the EVMs,' he said.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Odisha ready for SIR, may be held in Sept-Oct
Bhubaneswar: Odisha is planning to conduct a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral roll in Sept-Oct, after a gap of 24 years, authorities said on Monday. "The Election Commission of India (ECI) has already stated that this (SIR) will be conducted in every state. We are prepared, although we have not received any concrete timeline so far," chief electoral officer (CEO) R S Gopalan said while commenting on the state's plan during an informal interacting with the media. "Normally, around Sept-Oct, a summary revision of the voter list is done. The ECI will decide soon whether SIR will be conducted around the same time this year," he said amid an intense political debate over the SIR in Bihar. As part of the SIR, voters will have to fill out an enumeration form, which can be done physically or online, Gopalan said. The SIR involves door-to-door verification of voters and rationalisation of booths. As part of the electoral roll revision, the number of polling booths in Odisha will increase by 7,000 from 38,000 to 45,000, the CEO added. Gopalan said since 90% of voters in Odisha are Aadhaar-linked, there is a very low chance of large-scale discrepancies after the exercise is completed by Jan. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is it better to shower in the morning or at night? Here's what a microbiologist says CNA Read More Undo by Taboola by Taboola Recently, Odisha changed the EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) numbers of 7,000 voters as the numbers were identical to those of voters in some other states, he said. As part of preparations for the SIR exercise, chief secretary Manoj Ahuja had last month asked the department concerned and district administrations to ensure various posts related to the exercise, such as district election officer, electoral registration officer (ERO), and assistant EROs, are not vacant. Officers occupying these positions would not be transferred without EC approval. According to the existing voter list, as of Jan 1, Odisha has a total of 3.40 crore voters, including 1.72 crore men, 1.68 crore women and 3,434 other voters. The voters include 15 lakh in the 18-19 age group and 6.7 lakh who are 80 years and above. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
The Hindu
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
After 24 years, ECI to conduct SIR of electoral rolls in Odisha
The Election Commission of India will launch a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Odisha from next month, with preparations underway to mobilise manpower for 45,000 booths across the State. The SIR is being conducted after 24 years. 'We will conduct the SIR in addition to the special summary revision carried out annually. The ECI has asked all States to perform the SIR,' said R.S. Gopalan, Chief Electoral Officer, Odisha, on Monday (August 18, 2025). 'As part of SIR, we will get a form filled up from voters this year. The form will be on their eligibility. Voters are required to submit supporting documents with the forms,' said Mr. Gopalan. 'During the last SIR, the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) went to every house and ascertained the presence of voters. They had just ticked in their notes and left. This year, they will get enumeration forms filled up,' he pointed out. 'We have 90% of the Electors' Photo Identity Card numbers linked to Aadhaar numbers. The duplication of EPICs is expected to be lower,' said CEO Odisha. Duplicate EPIC He said that during routine revisions, 7,000 EPIC numbers in Odisha were found to match EPIC numbers belonging to voters outside the State. 'We have issued new EPICs with changed numbers,' said Mr. Gopalan. 'Intense preparations are underway. We will require 45,000 booths to cover the State. Currently, we have 38,000 booths. An additional 7,000 people can be easily mobilised. These should be permanent government employees, preferably teachers. In places where Anganwadi workers have been doing revisions, they will continue to do so,' the CEO said. After the SIR, the CEO will publish the draft roll on January 6, but there will be no change in dates for filing objections and the vetting period. If the ECI desires to extend dates for these processes, the dates will naturally be extended, he pointed out. BJD appeal was delayed On the Biju Janata Dal moving the High Court, dissatisfied at the ECI's response to allegations of discrepancies observed in voting during the 2024 elections, Mr. Gopalan said, 'I had twice clarified their concerns. As per the guidelines, every political party can lodge formal complaints over the process within 45 days of the completion of the election process. BJD filed six months later. No other party had any doubts about the process.' 'There are 30 cases related to elections pending in different courts. Three of them have been rejected. Nowhere is the ECI a party,' he said. Mr. Gopalan emphasised that, 'the ECI had built its reputation over seven decades of conducting elections. In 1979, when all political parties were expecting results in a particular direction, the outcome was entirely different. The time-tested election process must be respected. If people lose faith in elections, it will take a long time to restore it.'
Hindustan Times
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Odisha to begin SIR from September, wrap it up by January 7: Election official
Odisha will start working on the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls from next month, the first such exercise in the state after 2002, the state's chief electoral officer R Sant Gopalan said on Monday. The SIR will start from next month and the revsied list would be out in January, Odisha chief electoral officer R Sant Gopalan said Gopalan said the final voter list would be published on January 7 next year. 'The SIR will start from next month and the revsied list would be out in January. The revised list can be delayed as per ECI directions,' he said. The state's top election official also said the number of polling booths across the state would be increased from 38,000 to 45,000. Since 2002 when the last such exercise was carried out, the electoral rolls have undergone annual summary revisions, which do not involve door-to-door verification. The upcoming SIR could be a crucial effort to ensure that no eligible voter is left out, and no ineligible person remains on the rolls, he said. The SIR process includes house-to-house visits, verification of voter eligibility, rationalisation of polling stations and strengthening of the voter list to eliminate inaccuracies. Monday's announcement comes against the backdrop of a continuing controversy in Bihar over the exercise ahead of state elections later this year. The SIR in Bihar, also undertaken state-wide for the first time in two decades, has excluded nearly 6.5 million names from the draft roll published on August 1. The exercise was also challenged in the Supreme Court in July. On August 14, the top court directed EC to publish details of about 6.5 million voters deleted during the SIR. The court also stressed that transparency was essential and set August 19 as the deadline for compliance, with a review due on August 22. According to the 2024 list of voters, Odisha has 33.2 million voters, including 16.8 million men and 16.3 million women. Among the voters, there are 680,000 senior citizens, 9,060 people, aged over 100 years, 457,000 persons with disabilities (PwD) voters, 754,000 voters aged 18-19 years and 3,380 third gender voters. According to EC directions, people whose names were not recorded in the 2002 electoral roll will have to submit documents prescribed by the Commission to establish their eligibility for voter enrolment. In the Bihar case, the Supreme Court told EC to accept Aadhaar card as well. The state government has already instructed all departments and district collectors to ensure that no post designated as district election officer (DEO), electoral registration officer (ERO), or assistant electoral registration officer (AERO) is vacant during the revision period. No transfers of officers holding these posts would be made without the prior approval of the Election Commission. Asked about the objections raised by BJD on polling number mismatch in 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, Sant Gopalan said replies have already been given to objections raised by the Congress and the BJD. 'Let us not shake public trust. Baseless allegations could undermine the credibility of the Election Commission,' he said, adding that detailed clarifications were provided twice to BJD on their allegations.
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Govt asks dept to include ‘transgender' in gender category
Bhubaneswar: In a significant move towards inclusivity, the state govt has directed all departments to incorporate "Transgender" as a distinct gender category in application forms for recruitment to various govt positions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This directive was communicated through a letter from the department of social security and empowerment of persons with disabilities (SSEPD). The letter, penned by SSEPD secretary RS Gopalan, emphasises the importance of non-discrimination against transgender persons in employment, as outlined in the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. Gopalan highlighted the need for all relevant examination rules to be updated to align with the Act's provisions, ensuring that transgender individuals are recognised as a separate category in recruitment processes. "All departments of the Government of Odisha are requested to modify the relevant examination rules to include 'Transgender' as a separate gender category in application forms for state govt posts," the letter states. It further instructs that any form or application, whether online or in hard copy, must provide an option for applicants to identify as transgender. The SSEPD department has requested that all departments report back on the actions taken to implement these changes. The transgender community has welcomed the decision of the govt. "It is a fight for over 30 years. It is a great win for the transgender community. We thanked the govt for this historic decision," Meghna Sahoo, a member of the transgender community, said.
