Maharashtra Polls Face Duplicate Voter List Crisis, Opposition Alerts Bogus Voting Risk
The State Election Commission in Maharashtra has failed to complete the verification and marking of more than 10.32 lakh suspected duplicate voter entries across 29 municipal corporations. This incomplete process has sparked serious concerns from opposition leaders. They warn about potential confusion at polling booths and the risk of bogus voting during Thursday's elections.
What Are Multiple Voter Entries?
Multiple voter entries refer to names that appear twice or even three times on electoral rolls. To tackle this problem, the State Election Commission launched a special drive using dedicated software. The software aimed to identify duplicate entries across all 29 municipal corporations scheduled for polls this Thursday.
SEC data reveals a troubling picture. Of nearly 23 lakh suspected multiple entries identified statewide, approximately 10 lakh names remain unmarked. Larger civic bodies account for a substantial share of this pending work.
Pune Shows Highest Pendency, Mumbai Leads Completion
Among major municipal corporations, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) shows one of the highest pendencies. A staggering 83.29% of suspected duplicate entries—amounting to nearly 2.5 lakh voter records—still await marking. In sharp contrast, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) completed most of its verification process. BMC now boasts the lowest percentage of pending cases.
Opposition leaders argue the government should have completed this marking exercise well in advance. They allege the delay could be misused for electoral manipulation. "The names should be clearly marked to avoid any ambiguity on polling day," said one opposition leader. "With such a large number of unverified duplicate entries, confusion and even bogus voting become real possibilities." The leader urged polling agents to maintain strict vigil at all booths.
SEC Guidelines for Verification
State Election Commission guidelines mandate specific procedures. Civic officials must conduct field-level verification by visiting voters whose names appear multiple times in electoral rolls. Their task is to determine whether the entries belong to the same individual or different persons.
- If entries pertain to different individuals, all names must be retained.
- If they relate to the same person, officials must obtain a written undertaking from the voter.
- Officials must then mark the preferred polling booth in the electoral roll.
Officials state this exercise helps polling staff easily identify such cases at booths. It aims to prevent bogus voting. The verification drive occurred across all municipal corporations as part of preparations for cleaner, more accurate voter lists.
Opposition Prepares for Vigilance
Opposition leaders urge polling officials and booth-level staff to remain extra alert on polling day. They emphasize vigilance in areas with high numbers of unmarked entries. This vigilance ensures the electoral process remains free and fair while preventing bogus voting.
Claiming "bogus voting was prevalent in the last assembly elections," opposition party members announce stepped-up vigilance. They plan to monitor all booths during Thursday's polling to identify bogus voters.
Congress's Pune city chief Arvind Shinde detailed their preparations. "We have trained our polling agents to identify bogus voters if they turn up at booths," Shinde said. "We distributed copies of electoral rolls with marked duplicate names. We also increased party workers across all booths to watch the voting process till the end."
Shinde highlighted another concern. "Since every voter must cast four votes each, the process becomes time-consuming. Increased voting percentage in the last couple of hours raises manipulation chances. Keeping this in mind, our party workers encourage people to vote early in the day."
Shiv Sena (UBT) office-bearers instructed their booth agents differently. They told agents to raise complaints about any suspicion with election officials. Sanjay More, the party's city unit chief, explained their strategy. "Our booth agents must scrutinize every voter's identification documents in detail. If photographs are missing or documents show discrepancies, we instruct immediate complaints to election officials."
The incomplete marking of duplicate voter entries casts a shadow over Maharashtra's municipal elections. Opposition parties prepare for heightened vigilance while citizens await a smooth, fair voting process.
