25 November,2025 01:45 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Maharashtra Congress president Harshavardhan Sapkal
The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has urged the State Election Commission (SEC) to extend by 15 days the deadline for filing objections and suggestions to the draft voter lists for the Maharashtra local body elections. The draft rolls were published on November 20, and the current deadline for submitting objections is November 27.
In a joint letter to the SEC, Maharashtra Congress president Harshavardhan Sapkal, Leader of the Legislature Party Vijay Wadettiwar, and Legislative Council group leader Satej (Bunty) Patil said the seven-day window was "extremely short" and insufficient for citizens and political parties to scrutinise the lists.
The leaders said several municipal corporations had not properly divided the draft lists ward-wise. They also claimed that numerous voters' names had been shifted from their residential areas to other locations, resulting in widespread discrepancies.
According to the letter, the process for filing objections is also "cumbersome," as each individual is required to submit a separate application in a prescribed format along with an Aadhaar card. The Congress argued that if multiple errors are reported by a political party or individual, collective complaints should be accepted, which they say is not the case at present.
Calling for greater clarity and transparency in the preparation of voter lists, the party said citizens need more time to examine ward-level entries, particularly given the large number of voters in each ward. It urged the SEC to extend the deadline to ensure all genuine objections can be accommodated.
Meanwhile, Alleging irregularities in the draft voters list published by Maharashtra State Election Commission, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Monday said the poll body should extend the time for giving suggestions and raising objections about the draft notification to 21 days from the current seven.
Addressing a news conference in Mumbai after meeting SEC Dinesh Waghmare, Thackeray warned that if irregularities are not rectified in the draft voters list, then the Opposition will not only hit the streets but also approach the court.
If the irregularities in the draft have been done on purpose, then the SEC should be booked for sedition, Thackeray added.
A delegation of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders led by Thackeray met the SEC.
