Bhubaneswar, February 21, 2026: The Election Commission of India has announced a special revision of the voter lists (SIR) in 22 states and Union Territories, including Odisha, starting from April 1, 2026. This will mark the third phase of the SIR exercise.
Reacting to the announcement, Congress MLA Sofia Firdous from Barabati constituency emphasized that the process should be conducted in a fair and transparent manner. She stated, “SIR should be treated as a routine exercise and must not be used as a political tool. There should be no misuse of this process in any form. We expect proper training for all BLOs to ensure accuracy and efficiency.”
MLA Firdous further highlighted the importance of voter awareness, saying, “It is essential to educate all citizens about the process and the required documentation so that everyone can verify their names in the voter list. The exercise must be completely transparent, and we will fully cooperate in achieving this goal.”
The first and second phases of SIR were conducted in June and October last year, respectively. Currently, Odisha is governed by the BJP, which had won the assembly elections and appointed Mohan Charan Manjhi as the Chief Minister.
The last voter list in Odisha was prepared in April 2024, coinciding with the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. The list then recorded a total of 33,646,762 voters, comprising 17,039,900 male, 16,03,401 female, and 3,461 third-gender voters. The gender ratio stood at 974 females per 1,000 males. During the elections, 74.79% of voters exercised their franchise, with 25,115,924 voters casting their votes.
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