Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) benefited from bogus voters during the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) elections, claiming that the election outcome did not reflect the actual public sentiment in the city.
Sarnaik’s remarks come after the recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra, during which a large number of voter records in the Mira-Bhayandar area were flagged for verification.
According to the Shiv Sena leader, nearly two lakh names were removed or identified for verification during the revision process. He alleged that a section of these voters had influenced the municipal election result in favour of the local ruling party.
Sarnaik claimed that concerns over allegedly fake voters had been raised with the municipal commissioner before the civic elections. However, he alleged that the administration failed to take appropriate action.
The minister said, “The local ruling party directly took advantage of these voters. During the municipal elections, we informed the commissioner about fake voters, but it was ignored. As a result, despite the public support being in our favour, the mandate in the elections went in favour of the ruling party.”
Large Number Of Voter Records Flagged In Mira-Bhayandar
The controversy comes after Maharashtra’s draft electoral rolls were published on August 31 as part of the SIR exercise.
The data for the two Assembly constituencies covering Mira-Bhayandar — 145 Mira-Bhayander and 146 Ovala-Majiwada — shows that a substantial number of voter records have been marked for verification.
In the Mira-Bhayander constituency, the electoral roll had 5,14,950 registered voters before the revision. Of these, 2,13,045 records have been categorised as requiring verification.
In Ovala-Majiwada, the total electorate stood at 2,92,537, with 1,42,661 records requiring verification.
Sarnaik claimed that the records requiring verification include names associated with deceased voters, people who have shifted from the constituency and duplicate entries. However, the classification of a voter record for verification does not by itself establish that the voter was bogus or that an electoral offence was committed.
Allegations Could Trigger Tensions Within Mahayuti
Sarnaik’s allegation is politically significant because the BJP and Shiv Sena are partners in Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti alliance.
His claim that the BJP benefited from questionable voter entries in the Mira-Bhayandar civic polls could therefore create fresh friction within the alliance, particularly at the local level.
The allegations also come amid a wider political debate over the impact of Maharashtra’s SIR exercise.
Over 2 Crore Names Missing From Maharashtra’s Draft Roll
The first draft electoral roll published after the SIR exercise showed a sharp reduction in Maharashtra’s registered electorate.
Before the revision, the state had 9,78,54,049 registered voters. The draft roll published on August 31 contains 7,71,65,562 voters.
This means 2,06,88,487 names, or around 21.14 per cent of the earlier electorate, were not included in the draft roll.
The draft list comprises 3,95,89,905 male voters, 3,75,72,570 female voters and 3,087 third-gender voters.
The electoral authorities will now undertake the claims and objections process before the final electoral rolls are prepared.
