Mumbai, Nov 24 (NationPress) The detailed electoral roll released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in anticipation of the upcoming elections has uncovered more than 1.1 million duplicate voter entries within the city.

These discoveries emerge amidst mounting criticism from Shiv Sena (UBT), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regarding potential irregularities in the voter lists, which include duplicate and fraudulent entries, raising alarms about possible vote manipulation.

Per the draft rolls, a total of 1,101,505 duplicate entries have been pinpointed in the metropolis. Alarmingly, in around 100,000 instances, an individual’s name is recorded at three or four different locations. The western suburbs exhibit the highest density of such entries, followed by the eastern suburbs and the island city, indicating uneven distribution across Mumbai.

The western suburbs harbor 498,597 duplicate entries, marking it as the most impacted area. The eastern suburbs follow with 329,216 duplicate entries, while the island city contains 273,692 such entries.

The magnitude and geographical distribution of these discrepancies pose a significant challenge for election officials in light of the forthcoming Mumbai municipal corporation elections. Promptly addressing and rectifying these entries before polling is essential to uphold the integrity of the electoral process.

As per BMC data, Mumbai currently lists a total of 10,344,315 registered voters, comprising 5,516,707 male voters and 4,826,509 female voters. The existence of more than 1.1 million duplicate entries raises serious concerns regarding the accuracy and dependability of the voter rolls.

The State Election Commission and BMC are now tasked with the dual responsibility of cleansing the rolls and ensuring that ineligible or duplicate entries do not sway the outcomes of the approaching municipal elections.

The draft electoral rolls also reveal that several wards have notably large voter populations. For instance, in the R (Central) Ward, encompassing Borivali, Ward No. 15 has 61,361 registered voters. In the K (West) Ward, which includes areas like Andheri West, Jogeshwari West, and Vile Parle West, Ward No. 66 has 61,518 voters. Additionally, in the N Ward (Ghatkopar), Ward No 131 has 62,014 voters, while the L Ward, Ward No 164, has 60,094 voters. All other wards in the city contain fewer than 60,000 registered voters each.

The deadline for submitting objections and suggestions regarding entries in the electoral roll is November 27. The BMC published the draft list on its website on November 20, with duplicate entries specifically marked to aid in scrutiny and correction.

Individuals identified as duplicate voters will have the opportunity to rectify their surplus entries during the objection period. The final electoral roll is set to be published by the BMC on December 5. On polling day, if a duplicate voter attempts to cast their vote, authorities will require an affidavit from them confirming they have not voted elsewhere.