22 September,2026 04:24 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal led a delegation that submitted objections to the ongoing electoral roll revision. File pic
The Maharashtra Congress has raised objections to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, claiming that more than 2.06 crore voters have been excluded or placed in categories requiring verification.
The party termed the figure "unprecedented and alarming" and sought an inquiry and physical verification of the deletions to ensure that eligible voters are not left out of the electoral rolls.
A delegation of senior Congress leaders led by state unit chief Harshwardhan Sapkal met Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum regarding the SIR exercise.
Maharashtra Congress also sought a two-month extension of the period for filing claims and objections. They further argued that the existing timeframe was insufficient.
According to the party, the state had 9,78,54,049 voters before the exercise, of whom 2,06,88,487, or 21.14 per cent, were placed in the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others (ASDDO) category.
The Congress further claimed that nearly 1,22,24,007 voters would receive notices over discrepancies or because their names could not be mapped with the 2002 electoral roll.
The opposition party claimed that 1,54,39,754 voters had been marked absent, untraceable or permanently shifted. It said the revision exercise had also affected several voters who were registered ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The Congress sought an inquiry into the deletions between the 2024 Assembly elections and August 31, 2026, along with physical verification of the names removed from the rolls.
It also raised the issue of alleged duplicate names, claiming that nearly 25,000 such names remained across six Assembly constituencies in Nagpur district - Kamthi, Hingna, Ramtek, Umred, Saoner and Katol.
The Congress said the August 31 to September 30 period for filing Form 6 was inadequate, particularly as it coincided with Janmashtami, Bail Pola and Ganeshotsav. It also alleged that door-to-door delivery of notices began 15 to 20 days late.
The party demanded a mandatory two-month extension for filing voter forms, claims and objections, along with at least three opportunities for hearings and submission of evidence.
It also sought home visits for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and medically incapacitated voters.
The Congress called for documents such as Aadhaar, PAN cards, ration cards, assessment extracts, school leaving certificates and MGNREGS job cards to be accepted for correcting discrepancies.
It further demanded that notices and a hearing be made mandatory before deleting any voter name challenged through Form 7.
The party also sought assistant Booth Level Officers for polling booths with more than 600 voters, claiming that the deployment of schoolteachers as BLOs during the SIR exercise was affecting academic schedules amid upcoming mid-term examinations.
(With inputs from PTI)
