Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MLA Aaditya Thackeray has launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission, alleging the presence of "serious and shocking" discrepancies in the draft electoral rolls prepared for the upcoming municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra. The former state minister has specifically highlighted grave concerns regarding the voter list for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and has demanded an immediate extension of the deadline for citizens to file objections and corrections.
Widespread Errors Uncovered in Ward-by-Ward Scrutiny
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, Thackeray detailed the findings of an extensive verification exercise conducted by his party workers. He stated that a meticulous, ward-by-ward examination of the draft lists revealed massive gaps, incorrect entries, and a staggering number of repeated names. While the Election Commission had acknowledged around 11 lakh duplicate entries, Thackeray claimed the actual number of repeats marked in the lists exceeded 14 lakh.
The leader pointed out a critical flaw in the de-duplication process, where individuals with common Marathi names were incorrectly flagged as repeats despite being different people. Conversely, he alleged that approximately 50,000 names that were genuine duplicates were not identified at all by the system. Thackeray provided high-profile examples to underscore the scale of the problem, noting that party MLC Sunil Shinde's name appeared seven times with varying ages, photos, and addresses. Similarly, former Mumbai mayor Shraddha Jadhav's name was listed eight times, while Congress MLA Jyoti Gaikwad and MP Anil Desai also found their names entered multiple times.
Deceased Voters and Post-Cut-Off Additions Raise Alarms
One of the most serious allegations made by the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader pertains to the inclusion of deceased individuals in the active voter lists. Thackeray claimed that names of many voters who passed away years ago continue to feature in booth-level lists. "In some cases their families have even submitted death certificates, but the names remain. Some have been shown as voting too," he revealed, indicating a potential vulnerability in the electoral integrity.
Furthermore, Thackeray raised questions about procedural violations, stating that his party's check found more than 30,000 names that were added after the Election Commission's declared cut-off date of July 1, 2025. "How did these names enter the list after the cut-off?" he questioned, demanding transparency and accountability in the list preparation process.
Shortage of Booth Level Officers Compounds the Crisis
Beyond the errors in the lists themselves, Thackeray highlighted a systemic issue crippling the revision process: a severe shortage of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Mumbai. He stated that due to this staff crunch, individuals who were not adequately literate or trained were reportedly tasked with visiting homes to verify voter information. "It is not their fault. But how can someone who cannot read the voter list be asked to check it?" he argued, pointing to a fundamental flaw in the execution of the revision drive.
Based on these findings, Thackeray said his party has already filed a substantial 3,000 to 4,000 objections in each of Mumbai's 227 wards. With the scale of errors being so vast, he has made a formal demand to the Election Commission to extend the period allowed for the public to file corrections, ensuring that every eligible voter gets their right and the final list is purified of all inaccuracies before the crucial BMC polls.
