1.1 Million Duplicate Voters in Mumbai? BMC Uses Software to Flag Repeated Entries Before Polls

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has discovered that 1.10 million voters in Mumbai appear multiple times in the draft voters' list for various wards. This accounts for 10.6% of the 10.34 million voters in the draft list for the upcoming BMC elections, which were released on November 20.

To tackle the issue of duplicate entries, the BMC, in line with State Election Commission (SEC) directives, has started a special campaign. Booth-level officers (BLOs) are visiting these voters to confirm their voting intentions and prevent fraudulent voting. The SEC had previously instructed local bodies to conduct this drive to ensure voters are registered at only one booth.

Duplicate Entries Due to Floating Population

An SEC official explained that the large number of duplicate voter entries is due to the city's high floating population and the absence of a special summary revision this year. Areas like Mumbai, Thane, and Raigad, which have high migration rates, reported the most repeated entries. BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani attributed the issue to the lack of deletions in the voter list this year.

The BMC has identified repeated entries using specialised software provided by the SEC. The western suburbs have the most duplicate entries with 498,597 voters, followed by the eastern suburbs with 329,216, and the island city with 273,692.

Accusations of Systematic Bogus Voting

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray accused the ruling parties of orchestrating a systematic bogus voting campaign. He claimed that voters were registered at addresses of shops and toilets, with over 10 voters registered at a single address in some cases. Thackeray termed this as part of "vote chori" (vote theft).

Thackeray also raised questions about the publication date of the draft voters' list. While the BMC officially released it on November 20, a version obtained by a Shiv Sena worker showed a date of November 14. Thackeray asked if a separate list was prepared for select individuals.

Statewide Duplicate Voter Entries

Across the state, government officials estimate that more than 2.5 million voters have duplicate entries in poll-bound local bodies. The draft voters' lists indicate a total of 98.49 million voters, with 1.47 million added since the assembly elections in November of the previous year. The cut-off for voter registration was July 1.

The BMC and other local bodies have been using software to identify and highlight voters with multiple entries to prevent bogus voting. BLOs are tasked with confirming which booth these voters will use, ensuring they vote only once.

The situation has led to concerns about the integrity of the electoral process. Allegations of 'anti-national' activities by the SEC have been made, with further revelations expected in the coming days. The SEC's efforts to clean up the voters' list are ongoing, aiming to ensure fair and transparent elections.