Maharashtra electoral roll revision: Final voter list out Oct 27
Synopsis
The ECI has pushed Maharashtra's voter-list finalisation to 27 October 2026 after heavy monsoon rains and the Ashadhi Wari Pilgrimage disrupted BLO field operations. With 9.18 crore of 9.79 crore voters enumerated but urban digitisation still lagging — Thane at just 46.55 per cent — the revised timeline puts pressure squarely on Maharashtra's metro districts.
Key Takeaways
The Election Commission of India has revised the SIR schedule for Maharashtra , pushing the final electoral roll publication to 27 October 2026 .
The BLO house-to-house drive has been extended from 8 August to 17 August 2026 ; the draft roll will be published on 24 August 2026 .
As of 3 August 2026 , 9.18 crore of 9.79 crore registered voters ( 93.79% ) have had enumeration forms distributed; 72.89% digitised.
Thane records the state's lowest digitisation rate at 46.55 per cent ; rural districts like Hingoli and Wardha have achieved 100 per cent form distribution.
The extension was sought due to heavy July 2026 monsoon rains in Mumbai and the Konkan region, and the diversion of personnel for the Pandharpur pilgrimage .
Over 1,00,000 BLOs are deployed across 36 districts statewide.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has revised the schedule for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra, with the final voter list now set for publication on 27 October 2026, referenced to the qualifying date of 1 October 2026. The revision comes after the state election machinery sought an extension citing heavy monsoon rainfall and the Ashadhi Wari Pilgrimage.
Revised SIR Timeline
Under the updated schedule, the house-to-house visitation drive by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) — originally slated to conclude on 8 August 2026 — has been extended to 17 August 2026. The rationalisation and restructuring of polling stations will also be completed by 17 August.
The draft electoral roll will be published on 24 August 2026, after which claims and objections will be accepted through 23 September 2026. The hearing and disposal of those claims and objections will run from 24 August to 22 October 2026, before the final roll is published on 27 October.
Ground Progress Across Maharashtra
As of 3 August 2026, out of 9.79 crore registered voters in the state, enumeration forms have been distributed to 9.18 crore voters — representing 93.79 per cent coverage. Of those, 7.13 crore forms, or 72.89 per cent, have been digitised. More than 1,00,000 BLOs are deployed across 36 districts.
Wardha and Hingoli have achieved 100 per cent form distribution. Among districts with high digitisation, Hingoli leads at 90.47 per cent, followed by Ratnagiri (89.86 per cent), Wardha (89 per cent), Buldhana (89.19 per cent), and Yavatmal (87.93 per cent).
Urban Districts Lag Behind
Major metropolitan regions continue to trail rural districts on both distribution and digitisation. Thane has distributed 82.33 per cent of forms but records the state's lowest digitisation rate at 46.55 per cent. Mumbai Suburban stands at 85.12 per cent distributed and 53.21 per cent digitised, while Mumbai City shows 90.42 per cent distribution and 54.67 per cent digitisation. Pune has distributed 80.72 per cent of forms with 59.67 per cent digitised, and Nagpur at 87.62 per cent distributed and 59.77 per cent digitised.
Why the Extension Was Sought
State Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam said the state election machinery requested the ECI for an extension of the SIR deadline on account of two concurrent disruptions. Heavy rains during early July 2026 across Mumbai and the Konkan region delayed initial door-to-door visits by BLOs. Simultaneously, the annual Pandharpur pilgrimage required diverting significant administrative personnel and field machinery across districts including Pune, Sangli, and Solapur.
Chockalingam emphasised that doorstep verification is critical to ensuring no eligible voter is excluded and that ineligible or duplicate entries are systematically removed. The core objective, he said, is producing an accurate, updated, and error-free voter list ahead of the qualifying date.
With the revised deadline in place, the focus now shifts to closing the digitisation gap in urban districts before the draft roll goes public on 24 August.
Point of View
But they also mask a longer-standing pattern: India's largest cities, with the most mobile and transient voter populations, consistently underperform in voter-list accuracy. A final roll published on 27 October gives very little runway if Maharashtra heads into an election cycle, and any gap in urban digitisation now will show up as voter disenfranchisement later.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the revised schedule for Maharashtra's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls?
The Election Commission of India has revised the SIR schedule so that the BLO house-to-house drive runs until 17 August 2026, the draft electoral roll is published on 24 August, claims and objections are accepted through 23 September, and the final voter list is published on 27 October 2026. The qualifying date remains 1 October 2026.
Why was the Maharashtra SIR deadline extended?
State Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam said the extension was sought from the ECI due to two disruptions: heavy monsoon rainfall in Mumbai and the Konkan region during early July 2026, which delayed BLO field visits, and the annual Pandharpur pilgrimage, which required diverting administrative personnel from districts including Pune, Sangli, and Solapur.
How many voters have been covered in Maharashtra's electoral roll drive so far?
As of 3 August 2026, enumeration forms have been distributed to 9.18 crore of Maharashtra's 9.79 crore registered voters, representing 93.79 per cent coverage. Of these, 7.13 crore forms — 72.89 per cent — have been digitised statewide.
Which districts are leading and which are lagging in the SIR process?
Wardha and Hingoli have achieved 100 per cent form distribution, with Hingoli leading digitisation at 90.47 per cent. Urban districts lag significantly: Thane has the lowest digitisation in the state at 46.55 per cent, while Mumbai Suburban, Mumbai City, Pune, and Nagpur all remain below 60 per cent digitisation.
When can voters submit claims and objections regarding the Maharashtra electoral roll?
Claims and objections regarding the draft electoral roll can be submitted between 24 August and 23 September 2026. Hearings and disposal of these claims will take place from 24 August to 22 October 2026, after which the final roll will be published on 27 October 2026.
