In Odisha's Dhamnagar constituency, more than 90% of the Form‑7 voter‑deletion applications submitted during the Special Intensive Revision were for Muslim voters and were fraudulently uploaded using Booth Level Officers' credentials by the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer.

Analysis

The claim resonates because communal narratives about voter suppression are highly sensitive in India, especially in regions with sizable minority populations. The alleged misuse of official credentials gives the story a veneer of institutional fraud, which can fuel distrust in the electoral process. However, the exact figure that "more than 90%" of the deletions were Muslims comes from statements by officials and BLOs, not an independently audited dataset, so the proportion may be approximate. Moreover, while the suspension of the AERO confirms procedural misconduct, investigations are still ongoing, meaning the full intent—whether targeted disenfranchisement or a broader administrative error—has not been legally established. Readers should note that the core wrongdoing (unauthorized use of BLO credentials) appears substantiated, but the claim that the deletions were deliberately aimed at Muslims remains to be proven in a final report. This matters because unfounded allegations could inflame communal tensions, whereas verified misuse threatens the credibility of the voter‑list updating process and could affect election outcomes.