The publication of the final electoral roll for the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections hit a major roadblock on Friday, December 15, as technical issues caused a significant delay. The list, which was scheduled to be uploaded on the civic body's official website, was not available even late into the night, sparking a political controversy and allegations of mismanagement.
Political Leaders Launch Scathing Attack
Former cabinet minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray launched a fierce criticism against the BMC administration. He pointed out that while the BMC had announced through newspaper advertisements that the final voters' roll was published and would be available at the Central Election Office, nothing was accessible on the ground or online.
"After exposing lakhs of frauds and errors, the final roll is still not machine-readable," Thackeray stated. He raised serious questions, asking, "Why should the officer in charge of elections at the BMC not face charges of anti-national activities for such a fraud?" The leader further alleged that the delay wasted an entire day for all political parties and independent candidates who needed to scrutinize the list, hinting at possible favoritism towards a particular party.
Congress Joins the Fray, BMC Clarifies Stance
Echoing similar concerns, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal accused the State Election Commission of inaction. He claimed the poll body did not act on objections raised by his party regarding the electoral roll, which included proof of duplicate voters and issues with ward delimitations. "The functioning of the poll body is not transparent and biased," Sapkal added.
In its defense, the BMC maintained that the process of verifying suspected duplicate entries is ongoing. A civic official explained, "Our staff is verifying cases of suspected duplicate voters. If duplicates are identified, voters are asked to fill out a form indicating where they intend to vote. If they refuse, they will be required to fill the form at the polling station where they go to cast their vote." The official also clarified that the BMC itself does not possess the authority to unilaterally delete names from the voters' list.
What Happens Next?
Despite the delay in the digital publication, civic officials confirmed that hard copies of the final voters list were already released. They assured that the digital version would be uploaded on the website shortly. The focus now shifts to the upcoming deadline for the ward-wise voters' list, which is expected to be published by December 27. This delay has intensified the political atmosphere in Mumbai, with parties gearing up for a high-stakes electoral battle, now under the cloud of allegations regarding the integrity of the voter database.
