With barely a week remaining for the crucial civic elections in Maharashtra, a massive backlog in verifying suspected duplicate voter entries has sparked serious concerns about potential confusion and delays at polling booths on January 15.
Statewide Verification Exercise Falls Short
Data from the State Election Commission (SEC) reveals a worrying picture. Out of more than 10.32 lakh suspected duplicate entries identified across the state's 29 municipal corporations using specialised software, only 56.8% have been verified and marked. This leaves a staggering 43.18%, translating to over 4.4 lakh voter records, still pending verification.
As per SEC guidelines, civic officials are mandated to conduct field-level visits to ascertain if multiple entries belong to the same person or different individuals. If they are the same person, officials must obtain a written undertaking from the voter and mark their preferred polling booth in the electoral roll. "The exercise was properly carried out in some of the corporations, but some lag behind," a senior SEC official admitted.
Pune, Solapur Among Worst Performers
The data highlights stark disparities in performance between different civic bodies. Larger corporations account for a significant share of the backlog.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is a major concern, with 83.29% of its suspected duplicate entries yet to be marked. This pendency involves nearly 2.5 lakh voter records. In a stark contrast, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has completed most of its work, with the lowest percentage pending. However, due to Mumbai's vast electorate, its 15.52% pending work still amounts to nearly 1.7 lakh voter names.
The situation is even more dire in some smaller corporations. Solapur tops the list with 99.9% of marking pending, followed by Chandrapur (99.52%) and Jalna (98.95%). Corporations like Navi Mumbai, Parbhani, Dhule, Malegaon, and Jalgaon have completed less than 10% of the mandated verification. Apart from BMC, only Ichalkaranji and Kolhapur have less than 20% of flagged entries unverified.
Potential for Polling Day Chaos
Election officials have warned that failure to complete this critical exercise on time could lead to significant disruptions. "We asked all the municipal corporations to reach out to the voters concerned at the earliest and complete verification," another SEC official stated. Observers caution that while safeguards exist, delays in cleaning the electoral rolls could result in:
- Longer queues and added burden on voters.
- Confusion and disputes at polling stations.
- Potential impact on voter turnout.
- Challenges to the smooth conduct of the polls.
As per the SEC's protocol, suspected duplicate names are to be marked with double asterisks on lists displayed on civic notice boards and official websites. Such voters must submit an application indicating their preferred booth and can only vote there. If a voter with multiple entries arrives at a station without prior verification, they will be allowed to vote only after submitting a written undertaking that they have not voted elsewhere, subject to identity checks.
The gravity of the situation is echoed by voters. A Pune resident, whose name appeared twice within PMC limits but was not marked, said, "I will definitely go to only one booth, but such errors should be addressed." With the election clock ticking, the race to complete this verification process has become a critical test for the administration's preparedness.
