Mumbai Congress Highlights Voter List Irregularities Ahead of BMC Elections

The Mumbai Congress has raised concerns about irregularities in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's draft voters list, citing nearly 11 lakh duplicate names. Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad led a delegation to the State Election Commissioner, urging immediate action and transparency to address these anomalies and prevent voter confusion.

The Mumbai Congress on Friday accused the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation of irregularities in its draft voters list, claiming that nearly 11 lakh duplicate names were included. Party president Varsha Gaikwad led a delegation to the State Election Commissioner, demanding clarity on the anomalies.

Following the meeting, Gaikwad noted that even district collectors and civic deputy commissioners couldn't explain the duplicate names or how to address them. She criticized the proposal to require affidavits from duplicate voters, arguing it would lead to confusion and deter voter turnout. Gaikwad also accused officials of publishing the draft list without proper coordination between the SEC and the BMC.

Gaikwad pointed out that no ward restructuring has occurred in nine years, and since October 2024, no voter list has been published. She emphasized the need for the SEC to publish the list of duplicate voters and clarify their entries. Additionally, she stated that SEC's directions to the BMC must be quickly implemented.

(With inputs from agencies.)