President Bhakta Charan Das leads the state unit’s political campaign; party demands greater transparency in electoral-roll revision and independent scrutiny of disput
GTNS, SEPTEMBER 25, 2026, BHUBANESWAR: The Election Commission controversy took a sharper turn in Odisha on Friday as the state Congress carried its campaign against the poll panel to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha, in Bhubaneswar.The protest was part of the Congress’s nationwide programme announced for September 25, under which Pradesh Congress Committees were asked to demonstrate outside election offices. The party has demanded the removal and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an independent examination of electoral-roll changes and decisions taken during his tenure.The Odisha campaign is being conducted under the leadership of OPCC President Bhakta Charan Das, who heads the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee. The official Indian National Congress website lists Das as the present Odisha PCC president.SIR becomes the central Odisha issueFor the Odisha Congress, the national ECI confrontation has acquired a direct state-level dimension because of the recently completed electoral-roll revision.Questions surrounding the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, have focused on how voter records were mapped, verified and subsequently retained or removed from the rolls.Figures reported from the Odisha CEO’s office have already become part of the political debate. The final roll followed an extensive verification exercise, while opposition parties have questioned whether every eligible elector received an adequate opportunity to establish their eligibility.The BJD, separately, has alleged that around 25 lakh voters were not mapped at the beginning of the SIR process and questioned the consistency of the figures released at different stages. Those claims are allegations by the BJD and are not established facts.Congress links state concerns with national ECI controversy. The Odisha Congress protest comes amid a wider national dispute over the functioning of the Election Commission during the SIR exercise.The Congress has used the reported internal differences to demand an independent review of electoral-roll decisions.That interpretation, however, is disputed by the Election Commission’s position on its decision-making process. Differences during institutional deliberations do not by themselves establish that electoral decisions were unlawful or that voter-list changes were improperly made.Jaleswar allegations add another Odisha angleThe political debate in Odisha has also included allegations concerning voter deletions in Jaleswar Assembly constituency.Congress leader Sudarsan Das has raised allegations regarding the deletion of voters and has said that he possesses documentary, audio and video material concerning the matter.Those allegations require independent verification and should not be treated as established findings unless supported by competent authorities or documentary evidence.Who is leading the Odisha Congress campaign?Bhakta Charan Das — OPCC President:Das is the president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee. The Congress’s official PCC directory lists him as the state party chief.Sudarsan Das — Congress leader:Das has emerged as one of the Congress voices raising specific questions over alleged voter deletions in Jaleswar.The wider Odisha Congress organisation, including its district units and frontal organisations, is expected to remain involved as the party continues its electoral-roll campaign.Protest comes amid wider opposition mobilisationThe CEO-office demonstration also comes at a time of heightened political confrontation inside Odisha.On September 25, opposition members disrupted Assembly proceedings for the third consecutive day. Congress members raised the MMDR Amendment Act issue and later staged a dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Assembly premises.The CEO-office protest therefore adds another front to the Odisha Congress’s current political campaign—this time focusing specifically on electoral administration and voter-list revision.The Congress says its campaign is about protecting voter rights and demanding transparency. Election authorities, meanwhile, maintain the statutory framework for revision and verification of electoral rolls.The immediate political contest is now centred on a straightforward but significant question: how should changes to Odisha’s electoral rolls be verified, challenged and independently examined when voters or political parties raise objections?The Congress has announced that its agitation will continue. The second phase of the nationwide programme is scheduled for September 28, when District Congress Committees are expected to demonstrate at district collectorates.
GTNS | 25 Sept. 2026