“The SEC must publish the list of duplicate voters and specify where each duplicate entry has been recorded,” Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad said. Photo: X/@INCMumbai
The Mumbai Congress alleged that there were 11 lakh duplicate voters in the draft voters list released for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections on Friday (November 28, 2025).
A Congress party delegation led by Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad met the State Election Commissioner (SEC) and sought immediate clarification on the anomalies.
Ms. Gaikwad said that even District Collectors and civic Deputy Commissioners were unable to explain the presence of duplicate names or the procedure to address them.
“Officials say affidavits may be required from duplicate voters. This will only create more confusion and could reduce voter turnout. Citizens are being subjected to unnecessary harassment. The draft list has been released without proper coordination between the SEC and the BMC administration,” she said.
“There has been no ward restructuring for nine years. Since October 2024, no voter list has been published. Now, between 7,000 and 9,000 names have been shifted from one ward to another in areas such as Dharavi, Andheri and Kandivali. Neither the SEC nor the civic body has clarified their roles,” Ms. Gaikwad added.
“The SEC must publish the list of duplicate voters and specify where each duplicate entry has been recorded,” Ms. Gaikwad said. The commission has issued certain directions to the BMC, which must be implemented without delay, the Congress senior leader added.
The delegation is slated to meet again today (November 29) at 1:00 p.m., at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, Mumbai Congress Office, Azad Maidan in Mumbai.
Published – November 29, 2025 01:16 pm IST
