Mumbai, September 9 (Daily Kiran) : Congress MLA Amin Patel has voiced serious concerns regarding the removal of a large number of voters from the electoral rolls in Mumbai’s Mumbadevi constituency. In a letter addressed to Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer, S. Choklingam, Patel highlighted issues stemming from the Special Intensive Review (SIR) campaign.
According to Patel, the draft electoral list published on August 31, 2026, shows that approximately 95,732 voters have been removed. While official reasons cited for these removals include absenteeism, relocation, duplication, or death, Patel attributes the high number to poor access by booth-level officers (BLOs) and a lack of effective communication.
Patel noted that as of September 8, no Form-6 applications, which are used for re-registration and new voter registration, had been accepted in the area. He criticized the absence of official notices for voters whose names were in question or unclear.
Many citizens attempting to contact their local BLOs reported difficulties, as phones were either turned off or went unanswered. This has caused significant challenges for those trying to rectify their voter status.
With the Ganesh festival approaching, Patel warned that BLOs would be preoccupied with festival-related duties, potentially preventing many eligible voters from submitting their applications on time. He has requested an extension of the deadline for submitting Form-6 applications from September 30 to October 31 and for the hearing period for discrepancies and unregistered voters to be extended from October 29 to November 30.
Patel urged the Chief Electoral Officer to consider the gravity of the situation and take immediate corrective actions. His concerns come at a time when the draft electoral list revealed that 2.07 crore voters were unaccounted for. Among these, 75.52 lakh were marked as absent, 76.80 lakh had permanently relocated, 34.81 lakh had passed away, and 17.63 lakh were duplicates or registered elsewhere, with 2.23 lakh classified under other reasons.
Choklingam clarified that being categorized under the “Uncollectable Enumeration Form” does not imply immediate or permanent removal from the voter list. It simply means that these individuals were not included in the draft electoral list as part of the SIR-2026 campaign.
He encouraged all voters to verify their names on the list and ensure their details are correctly recorded. If a name is missing, individuals can apply for inclusion, and corrections can be made for any inaccuracies. If a name has been removed, affected individuals can fill out Form-6 to reapply for inclusion.
Choklingam emphasized that the draft electoral list is not final and that the claims and objections process will be fully completed before the final list is released.
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