In many flood-affected areas, people are primarily concerned with their safety, evacuation, relief and rehabilitation.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday (August 19, 2026) sought the intervention of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for a further extension of the claims and objections period under SIR–2026 by at least 30 days, in light of the flooding and continuous heavy rainfall situation in Odisha.
The BJD drew attention to the enormous workload pending at various levels, the large number of notices and cases requiring hearing and verification, and the necessity of providing adequate opportunity to electors, political parties, and Booth Level Agents (BLAs), thereby justifying the demand for an extension.
The claims and objections period, which was initially scheduled to end on August 4, 2026, has been extended by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to August 19, 2026.
“The prevailing natural calamity in Odisha has affected the ability of thousands of electors, BLAs and election officials to undertake the necessary verification and submission of claims and objections. Several districts and areas of the State are presently facing continuous heavy rainfall, flooding, waterlogging, inundation, disruption of road communication and displacement of families,” the party said in its letter.
Besides, in many affected areas, people are primarily concerned with their safety, evacuation, relief and rehabilitation.
“Under such circumstances, expecting electors to travel to BLOs and other offices or designated centres and complete the electoral procedures within the present deadline is neither practical nor equitable. The issue is particularly serious because the claims and objections stage is a crucial safeguard against the wrongful exclusion of eligible electors from the electoral roll,” the party pointed out.
“We also reiterate the concerns raised in our earlier representation regarding the substantial volume of cases requiring verification and disposal. As per information shared by the Chief Electoral Officer, Odisha, on July 21, 2026, out of 58,36,341 notices proposed to be issued, hearings had reportedly been conducted in only 1,42,111 cases,” said BJD.
“Further, 20,32,019 Form 7 applications relating to deletion of names had been reported to political parties. These figures themselves demonstrate the magnitude of the exercise and the need for sufficient time for proper verification, scrutiny and hearing. In such a situation, closing the claims and objections process on August 19, 2026, despite the continuing disruption caused by flood and heavy rainfall, may result in genuine electors being deprived of a meaningful opportunity to protect their electoral rights,” the party further said.
Published – August 20, 2026 05:30 am IST
