Nearly 30% of voters in 38 Maharashtra Assembly constituencies with significant Muslim populations have been marked as “uncollectable” in the draft electoral rolls released after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), according to data analysed by The Indian Express.
More than 37 lakh voters, or 29.7% of the previous electorate in these 38 constituencies, have been marked under categories including absent, shifted, deceased, duplicate and other cases. The overall exclusion rate across Maharashtra is 21.1%, covering more than two crore voters.
High Exclusions in Muslim-Heavy Seats
Some constituencies with large Muslim populations recorded particularly high exclusion rates.
Bhiwandi East recorded an exclusion rate of around 49%, while Bhiwandi West recorded more than 44%. In Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, where Muslims make up more than half of the population, around 42% of voters were marked uncollectable.
Chandivali, where Muslims account for about 28% of the population, recorded an exclusion rate of 41.4%. Malad West recorded nearly 39%, while Mumbadevi recorded around 38%.
Other constituencies, including Byculla, Vandre East, Kurla and Andheri West, also recorded exclusion rates of more than 35%.
However, the data does not establish whether Muslim voters were disproportionately removed from the electoral rolls.
Malegaon Central, which has the highest Muslim population share among the 38 constituencies at around 78%, recorded a lower exclusion rate of 23.4%.
Opposition Questions Deletions
Opposition leaders have raised concerns over the pattern of exclusions, particularly in Mumbai, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and other constituencies with sizeable minority populations.
NCP Sharadchandra Pawar leader Anish Gawande alleged that Mumbai and the MMR had been particularly affected by the exercise and claimed that constituencies with larger Muslim populations had seen higher deletions.
Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe also alleged that voters in minority dominated and Opposition strongholds had been targeted. He accused BJP workers of influencing the process in Nagpur, though the allegations have not been independently established.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also questioned the large changes in Maharashtra’s electoral rolls. He asked why the number of voters had increased sharply between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections before falling after the SIR exercise.
“Which list was correct?” Gandhi asked.
Election Commission Says Claims Can Be Challenged
Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam said the current list is only a draft and that voters whose names are missing can file objections and seek verification.
The claims and objections process will continue until September 30, after which the final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on November 4.
The Election Commission has categorised voters marked as uncollectable under different reasons, including death, permanent migration, absence, duplicate entries and other cases.
Maharashtra is among the states and Union Territories where the third phase of the SIR exercise is being conducted. The exercise has faced criticism in several states over concerns that genuine voters could be excluded, while the Election Commission has maintained that the revision is intended to ensure accurate and updated electoral rolls.
The Supreme Court has upheld the legality of the revision while making clear that the Election Commission cannot determine a person’s citizenship through the electoral roll revision process.
