Maharashtra Opposition Mounts Pressure On Election Commission Over Voter List Irregularities And Alleged Intimidation Of Candidates

Mumbai: The Opposition in Maharashtra has come together to strongly criticise the State Election Commission (SEC), alleging widespread anomalies in the draft voters’ lists for the upcoming municipal corporation elections and raising serious concerns about alleged intimidation of candidates in the local body polls.

The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has accused the SEC of rushing the scrutiny process by allowing only seven days for filing objections to the draft voter lists, which were released on 20 November 2025. In a joint letter to the Commission, State Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal, Legislature Party Leader Vijay Wadettiwar, and Legislative Council Group Leader Satej “Bunty” Patil demanded that the deadline for submitting suggestions and objections be extended by 15 days.

The Congress leaders stated that several municipal corporations were facing major discrepancies in the draft voters’ lists. They pointed out that the lists had not been properly divided ward-wise, leading to confusion among voters. A large number of voters’ names had either been shifted to different areas or removed from their actual place of residence, creating what they described as widespread errors. They also criticised the method of filing objections, saying the process was complicated and time-consuming, as every individual was required to file a separate application in the prescribed format along with Aadhaar details. According to them, political parties should be allowed to submit consolidated objections on behalf of multiple voters, but such complaints were currently not being accepted by election officials.

The Congress further argued that given the large population in each ward, citizens and parties needed more time to verify the voter lists thoroughly. They stressed that transparency in electoral rolls was essential to ensure fair elections and that the SEC must take note of these concerns and extend the deadline.

Meanwhile, NCP (SP) national working president and Baramati MP Supriya Sule has written separately to State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare, alleging that candidates across the state were being pressured to withdraw from the election fray. Sule claimed that “vested interests” were using threats, coercion, and pressure tactics to force aspirants out of the contest, thereby engineering unopposed victories in several local bodies. She described this as a dangerous trend and said it struck at the foundation of Maharashtra’s democratic traditions.

Her letter came in the backdrop of a statement by Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan, who claimed that as many as 100 councillors from the ruling party had been elected unopposed in municipal councils and nagar panchayats. Opposition parties, including the NCP (SP) and Congress, have alleged that the BJP is misusing administrative influence and pushing dynastic politics at the grassroots level to secure uncontested wins for relatives of party leaders.

She said the increasing number of unopposed victories due to intimidation was a worrying sign of the erosion of democratic values. Sule urged the Commission to ensure that the coming elections are conducted in a free, fair, and fearless atmosphere.

Local body elections for 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats will be held on December 2, while elections for municipal corporations are expected in January 2026. With multiple opposition parties now raising alarm over both voter list discrepancies and alleged pressure tactics, the State Election Commission is under mounting pressure to respond.

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