Odisha Chief Electoral Officer R S Gopalan Files Voluntary Retirement After SIR Completion

Odisha's chief electoral officer R S Gopalan has filed for voluntary retirement just days after the state completed its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll. Gopalan, a 2001‑batch IAS officer originally from Tamil Nadu, submitted the VRS application on Wednesday, about two years before his scheduled superannuation in September 2028. He told The Indian Express he has completed 25 years in service and that his decision is purely personal, with no link to the SIR exercise. He added that he discharged his duty impartially during the SIR and faced no pressure from anyone. Senior Biju Janata Dal leader Arun Sahoo questioned the timing, saying the CEO’s move raises doubts and suggesting he would not have applied for VRS without pressure from the state government. Gopalan also serves as principal secretary of Odisha’s excise department. Sources said he wanted to apply for VRS in September but waited for the SIR to finish; the final electoral roll was published on September 21, showing the voter count fall from 3.33 crore before SIR to 3.16 crore after. Opposition parties claim many genuine voters were omitted. A senior state official confirmed that after state‑government approval, the VRS request will go to the Union government for clearance, after which Gopalan will be relieved of duty. His retirement follows the recent resignation of IPS officer Jagmohan Meena, a 2013‑batch officer in Odisha, who also cited personal reasons. ## Context The SIR process is an intensive clean‑up of voter lists aimed at removing duplicates and ineligible entries, often sparking political debate. Voluntary retirement allows senior IAS officers to leave service before the normal retirement age, subject to approval by both state and central governments.