2.06 crore voter roll exclusions in Maharashtra 'alarming', says Congress; seeks probe

S. Chockalingam, Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra. Photo: Special Arrangement The Maharashtra Congress on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) said the exclusion of more than 2.06 crore voters from the State electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was "unprecedented and alarming" and sought an inquiry and verification of the deletions.In a letter to Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam, the Opposition party raised objections to the ongoing SIR in the State, saying a large number of voters could face disenfranchisement and sought a two-month extension of the claims and objections period.A delegation of senior Congress leaders led by State unit chief Harshwardhan Sapkal met CEO Chockalingam and handed over the memorandum.It alleged administrative lapses, defective forms and delays in serving notices, besides pointing to the overlap of the revision exercise with major festivals.The Congress said immediate corrective measures were needed to ensure eligible voters were not left off the electoral rolls.The party claimed that of the 9,78,54,049 voters in the State before the exercise, 2,06,88,487 names, or 21.14%, had been placed in the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others (ASDDO) category.Nearly 1,22,24,007 voters would be served notices over discrepancies or because their names could not be mapped with the 2002 electoral roll, it further claimed.The Congress termed the deletion of more than 2.06 crore names between the 2024 assembly elections and August 31, 2026, "unprecedented and alarming" and sought an inquiry and physical verification of the deletions.The party claimed that 1,54,39,754 voters had been marked absent, untraceable or permanently shifted, and that the SIR exercise had affected several voters registered ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha and assembly elections.It also raised concerns about alleged duplicate names, claiming that nearly 25,000 such names remained in six assembly constituencies in Nagpur district—Kamthi, Hingna, Ramtek, Umred, Saoner, and Katol.The Congress also said the August 31-September 30 period for filing Form 6 was inadequate, particularly as it coincided with Janmashtami, Bail Pola and Ganeshotsav, and claimed that door-to-door serving of notices began 15 to 20 days late.The party demanded a mandatory two-month extension for filing voter forms, claims and objections and sought at least three opportunities for hearings and submission of evidence.It also demanded home visits for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and medically incapacitated voters.The Congress sought acceptance of documents including Aadhaar, PAN cards, ration cards, assessment extracts, school leaving certificates and MGNREGS job cards for rectifying discrepancies.It further demanded that notices and a hearing be made mandatory before deletion of any voter name challenged through Form 7.The party also sought appointment of assistant Booth Level Officers for polling booths with more than 600 voters, claiming that the extensive deployment of schoolteachers as BLOs amid upcoming mid-term examinations was disrupting academic schedules. Published - September 22, 2026 05:32 pm IST