The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has been inundated with a staggering 22,809 applications from citizens demanding corrections to the draft electoral rolls for the forthcoming civic body elections. This massive public response comes after the draft rolls, published on November 20, were found to be riddled with serious inaccuracies, sparking widespread criticism and political protests.
A Flawed Draft and Public Outcry
As directed by the State Election Commission, the PMC had made the preliminary voter list public on November 20, setting an initial deadline of November 27 for citizens to submit suggestions and objections. However, the document quickly came under fire for containing multiple glaring errors. The opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi, staged a protest, highlighting issues such as voters residing outside the civic limits being incorrectly included and citizens being listed under ward offices located far from their actual homes.
In the face of this backlash, the State Election Commission intervened and extended the deadline for submitting corrections to December 3. The civic administration revealed that the highest number of applications, a total of 6,308, came from the Sinhagad Road ward office area. This was closely followed by the Nagar Road-Vadgaonsheri ward office, which received 5,617 applications for changes.
Admission of Errors and Revenue from Sales
Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram had previously admitted to a significant problem of approximately three lakh double entries in the electoral database. He clarified that while the civic body lacks the direct power to delete these duplicate entries, it would implement measures to ensure that no voter can cast their ballot more than once during the elections.
Interestingly, the PMC also generated revenue of Rs 16,20,200 by selling physical copies of the draft electoral roll to citizens, particularly to political aspirants and candidates preparing for the polls. Prasad Katkar, the in-charge of the civic election department, stated that the body would scrutinize all 22,809 applications received. "The civic body will consider all the applications seeking changes in the electoral rolls. After verification, relevant changes will be made directly and for few applications, a hearing will be conducted," Katkar explained.
Next Steps Towards Final Rolls
The civic administration had urged all eligible voters to carefully check their details in the draft list and apply for corrections if necessary. Following the collection of objections, the process will move to hearings on the individual applications. Based on the outcomes of these hearings, the PMC will then publish the final, corrected electoral rolls. These will be organized ward-wise and polling booth-wise, and are expected to be released in the coming days, paving the way for the upcoming municipal elections.
