Mumbadevi electoral roll: Congress flags 39% voter deletion risk in SIR drive
Synopsis
Congress MLA Amin Patel has flagged that nearly 39% of Mumbadevi voters — over 95,000 people — have been marked 'Permanently Shifted' or 'Dead' without field verification under the SIR process. With 1.8 crore Maharashtra voters potentially at risk of deletion, the letter demands an immediate BLA review and a deadline extension beyond 17 August 2026.
Key Takeaways
Congress MLA Amin Patel wrote to Maharashtra CEO S.
Chockalingam and BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide on 14 August 2026 .
Nearly 39% of Mumbadevi voters — 95,538 out of 2,41,959 — marked 'Permanently Shifted' or 'Death' without field verification.
Uncollected SIR forms stand at 37.8% in Mumbai City and 34.4% in Mumbai Suburban.
Patel warned that approximately 1.8 crore Maharashtra voters could be removed from electoral rolls statewide.
Demands include a BLA review, universal form distribution, and extension of the SIR deadline beyond 17 August 2026 .
Congress MLA Amin Patel has written to Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam and BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, raising serious concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in the 186 Mumbadevi Assembly Constituency. The letter, dated 14 August 2026, alleged significant lapses by certain Booth Level Agents (BLAs) during the form distribution and verification drive.
Scale of the Problem
According to Patel, nearly 39 per cent of Mumbadevi's total voters — approximately 95,538 individuals out of 2,41,959 — have been categorised as 'Permanently Shifted' or 'Death' in Election Commission records without proper field verification. He further cited 37.8 per cent uncollected forms in Mumbai City and 34.4 per cent in Mumbai Suburban, along with a backlog of forms requiring corrections.
What the Congress MLA Alleged
'Such lapses are a matter of serious concern, particularly when the SIR process is intended to ensure that all eligible and genuine voters are included in the electoral roll,' Patel said. He warned that failing to distribute SIR forms properly, and prematurely marking legitimate residents as shifted, threatens to disenfranchise a large section of genuine voters.
Patel escalated the concern to a statewide scale, stating: 'It is feared that the names of approximately 1.8 crore voters from Maharashtra could be deleted from the electoral rolls and the Election Commission of India (ECI) should extend the deadline for the SIR exercise.'
Key Demands Raised
Patel put forward three specific demands: an immediate review of BLAs who failed to distribute SIR forms or marked voters as 'Permanently Shifted' without on-ground verification; clear directions to ensure every eligible voter receives an SIR form; and an extension of the SIR deadline beyond 17 August 2026 to allow adequate time for distribution, collection, verification, and digitisation.
Broader Electoral Integrity Concern
This comes amid heightened scrutiny of electoral roll processes across India, with opposition parties repeatedly flagging concerns about voter deletions ahead of elections. Notably, Mumbadevi — a densely populated urban constituency in Mumbai — has historically been a closely watched seat. Any large-scale deletion of voter names without verification could have significant implications for electoral outcomes in the region. Patel urged that an extension and thorough review are essential to maintaining a fair and transparent electoral roll and safeguarding constitutional voting rights. The ECI is yet to respond publicly to the demands.
Point of View
538 voters potentially marked off without verification in a single constituency — is not a clerical footnote; it is a structural failure of the BLA system if the allegations hold. The SIR process was designed to clean rolls, not hollow them out. What makes this politically significant is the statewide extrapolation: if Mumbadevi's 39% lapse rate is representative, the 1.8 crore figure for Maharashtra is not alarmist — it is arithmetic. The ECI's silence so far is conspicuous. An independent audit of BLA-level data, not just a deadline extension, is the more urgent ask that Patel stops short of making explicitly.
NationPress
17 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Maharashtra?
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an Election Commission of India exercise to update and clean electoral rolls by verifying voter details through Booth Level Agents. In Maharashtra, the current SIR drive had a deadline of 17 August 2026, and involves distributing, collecting, and digitising voter verification forms.
What has Congress MLA Amin Patel alleged about the Mumbadevi SIR drive?
Patel alleged that nearly 39% of Mumbadevi's voters — about 95,538 individuals — have been marked 'Permanently Shifted' or 'Death' in Election Commission records without proper on-ground verification. He also flagged high rates of uncollected forms in Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban.
How many Maharashtra voters could be affected statewide?
According to Patel's letter, approximately 1.8 crore voters across Maharashtra could risk deletion from electoral rolls if the lapses seen in Mumbadevi are replicated across other constituencies. He has urged the ECI to investigate and extend the SIR deadline.
What action has Amin Patel demanded from authorities?
Patel has demanded an immediate review of Booth Level Agents who failed to distribute forms or wrongly marked voters as shifted, universal SIR form distribution to all eligible voters, and an extension of the SIR deadline beyond 17 August 2026 for proper verification and digitisation.
Why does this matter for voters in Mumbai?
If eligible voters are incorrectly removed from electoral rolls without verification, they lose their right to vote — a constitutional right. Mumbadevi is a densely populated urban constituency, and large-scale deletions without due process could disenfranchise thousands of genuine residents ahead of future elections.
