Odisha chief electoral officer R S Gopalan seeks early retirement
India
R S Gopalan, Odisha's chief electoral officer, has surprised many by applying for early retirement just after wrapping up the Special Intensive Revision process and after Odisha's final electoral roll was published.
He says he's leaving for personal reasons, not because of any controversy around the recent revision process.
Voluntary retirement with 1.5 years left
Gopalan's applied for voluntary retirement comes with one and a half years left before his official retirement.
His time as chief electoral officer was marked by efforts to keep voter rolls accurate despite political pressure and some complaints from parties like BJD.
With him stepping away, there could be shifts in how Odisha manages upcoming elections.