Stories
Odisha CEO RS Gopalan Seeks Voluntary Retirement Amid SIR Controversy
M
Moneycontrol•01-10-2026, 13:35
Odisha CEO RS Gopalan Seeks Voluntary Retirement Amid SIR Controversy
- •Odisha Chief Electoral Officer RS Gopalan has sought voluntary retirement from government service, nearly 21 months before his scheduled superannuation.
- •Gopalan, a 2001-batch IAS officer, stated his decision was for personal reasons and unrelated to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls controversy.
- •He mentioned completing 25 years of service and wanting to focus on family matters in Bhubaneswar until his son's schooling is finished.
- •The SIR exercise, which published a final electoral roll of 3.16 crore voters, drew criticism from opposition parties like BJD and Congress over alleged deletion of names.
- •Gopalan's resignation follows that of Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police Jagmohan Meena earlier this month.
Key Questions Answered
RS Gopalan stated that he sought voluntary retirement (VRS) for personal reasons to focus on his family and remain in Bhubaneswar until his son completes his school education, noting that his decision was unrelated to the SIR controversy and followed the completion of 25 years in government service on September 2.
The final electoral roll published after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise contains approximately 3.16 crore voters.
The opposition BJD and Congress criticized the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise over the deletion of names, with the BJD alleging that more than 27.50 lakh voters were excluded, the matter was concealed, and the CEO manipulated voter data.
