BMC Cracks Down on Duplicate Voters Ahead of 2026 Civic Polls; Over 1.68 Lakh Entries Confirmed

Mumbai: With an eye on ensuring transparency and accuracy ahead of the 2026 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the civic administration has intensified its voter list verification drive and identified a large number of duplicate voter registrations across Mumbai’s wards.

Officials confirmed that verification has been completed for more than 11 lakh suspected duplicate entries so far. After detailed field checks and data validation, over 1.68 lakh voter records were confirmed as genuine duplicates, accounting for nearly 15 percent of the total cases reviewed. These include voters registered more than once either within the same ward or across different wards of the city.

The BMC said that more than 24,700 voters have already submitted Form ‘A’, formally indicating the ward in which they wish to retain their voter registration. The remaining cases are currently under scrutiny, and the verification process is expected to be completed by December 27. The civic body has reiterated that the objective is to ensure that every eligible voter is registered in only one ward, in compliance with election rules.

As part of the exercise, civic teams have conducted door-to-door verification, visiting over 53,000 households in recent days. Data gathered during the survey shows that nearly 89,000 voters were found to have multiple entries within the same ward, while close to 79,000 voters were registered in more than one ward.

Ward-wise analysis reveals that Kurla’s L Ward has emerged as the hotspot for duplicate registrations, followed by K West in Andheri West and R South in Kandivali. Civic officials stated that focused verification drives are being carried out in these areas to resolve discrepancies before the final voter list is published.

Meanwhile, election authorities clarified voting arrangements for the upcoming BMC polls. Unlike Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, there will be no provision for postal ballots or home-based voting for senior citizens and persons with disabilities in municipal elections, as current State Election Commission rules do not allow such facilities. All voters in the city will be required to cast their votes at designated polling booths.

However, around 63,000 government employees involved in election-related duties — including staff from the BMC, other departments, and the police — will be permitted to vote through postal ballots to ensure they are not disenfranchised due to official responsibilities.