Odisha CEO seeks voluntary retirement 21 months early, denies link to SIR row
Published
RS Gopalan, Odisha's chief electoral officer since July 2024, cites personal reasons. The opposition BJD alleges 27.50 lakh voters were excluded in the roll revision and has questioned his timing.
Reporting as of 1 October 2026, 9.15am IST.
Why is the Odisha CEO seeking voluntary retirement, about 21 months before he was due to retire? RS Gopalan, the state's chief electoral officer, says it is for personal reasons and has nothing to do with the controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter rolls.
That matters because of the job he holds. Gopalan has been CEO since July 2024, through a revision that produced a final roll of 3.16 crore voters on 21 September. The opposition BJD alleges that 27.50 lakh voters were excluded.
Gopalan says his reasons are personal
Gopalan, a 2001-batch IAS officer, said he wanted to take VRS for personal reasons, ThePrint reported, and that the decision had no link to the SIR controversy.
Of his critics, he said: "Let them be happy if they want."
He completed 25 years of service on 2 September and also holds charge as secretary of the Excise Department. His critics read the timing differently.
The BJD says 27.50 lakh voters were left out
The Biju Janata Dal alleges that the CEO manipulated voter data during the SIR, OrissaPOST reported. The party's Prasanna Acharya, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, questioned the timing of the request.
Set against the final roll of 3.16 crore, the BJD's figure of 27.50 lakh is about 8.7%: 27.50 lakh divided by 316 lakh. These are the party's allegations.
If his request is accepted, he leaves well before his retirement date.
He was due to serve until June 2028
Gopalan's superannuation falls in June 2028, about 21 months away. His VRS application is pending, and no timeline has been given for a decision.
One voice is missing from the record so far.
We found no Election Commission statement
We found no statement from the Election Commission on his request, and it is not yet known whether the request will be accepted.
ThePrint and OrissaPOST both led with Gopalan's denial of any link to the SIR row. See how every outlet covered it
What happens next is a decision on his application, for which no date has been given.
This story was produced with AI assistance and reviewed, edited and verified by the reporter before publication.
Covered by 2 outlets across the spectrum: 0% left, 50% center, 50% right.
Who is covering this story
- Center (1): ThePrint
- Right-leaning (1): OrissaPOST