Stories
Odisha CEO RS Gopalan Seeks VRS, Cites Personal Reasons Amidst SIR Controversy
N
News18•01-10-2026, 10:45
Odisha CEO RS Gopalan Seeks VRS, Cites Personal Reasons Amidst SIR Controversy
- •Odisha Chief Electoral Officer RS Gopalan has sought voluntary retirement from government service, nearly 21 months before his scheduled superannuation in June 2028.
- •Gopalan, a 2001-batch IAS officer, stated his decision to seek VRS is for personal reasons, emphasizing a desire to focus on family and remain in Bhubaneswar until his son's education is complete.
- •He clarified that his decision is unrelated to the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, despite opposition demands for his resignation over the exercise.
- •Gopalan noted he completed 25 years in government service on September 2 and planned to apply for VRS after the final electoral roll was published, which occurred on September 21.
- •The SIR exercise, which resulted in around 3.16 crore voters, drew criticism from the BJD and Congress over the deletion of names, with the BJD alleging manipulation of voter data.
Key Questions Answered
RS Gopalan stated he applied for voluntary retirement for personal reasons, specifically to focus on his family and remain in Bhubaneswar until his son completes his school education. He noted that the decision was unrelated to the Special Intensive Revision controversy and came after completing 25 years in government service.
The final electoral roll published following the Special Intensive Revision exercise contains approximately 3.16 crore voters.
The opposition BJD and Congress criticized the Special Intensive Revision exercise over the deletion of names from electoral rolls. The BJD alleged that over 27.50 lakh voters were excluded, the matter was concealed, and the CEO manipulated voter data.
