Kalyan: Political temperatures have begun to rise over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) area, with Shiv Sena (UBT) accusing election officials of serious lapses that could allegedly deprive thousands of eligible citizens of their voting rights.
Addressing the media, Abhijit Sawant, Kalyan District Chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), alleged that the voter revision exercise is not being conducted in accordance with the Election Commission's prescribed guidelines. He claimed that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have failed to carry out mandatory door-to-door visits for distributing and collecting SIR forms in several parts of the KDMC jurisdiction.
According to Sawant, only 10 to 15 per cent of the revision work has been completed so far across the four Assembly constituencies falling under the Kalyan-Dombivli civic limits. He alleged that in many localities, BLOs never visited voters' homes, while in some areas, SIR forms were allegedly distributed and collected through offices of the ruling political party, raising concerns over the neutrality and transparency of the process.
He further claimed that the alleged lapses have disproportionately affected senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and voters perceived to support opposition parties, making it difficult for them to complete the verification process.
The Election Commission is currently undertaking the Special Intensive Revision to update and verify the electoral rolls ahead of upcoming elections. While the original deadline for the exercise was July 29, it has now been extended to August 8 to facilitate wider voter participation.
Despite the extension, Shiv Sena (UBT) alleged that the pace of the exercise remains slow in several parts of Kalyan and Dombivli, creating anxiety among residents over the possibility of their names being omitted from the final electoral roll.
Sawant warned that if BLOs do not complete the house-to-house verification within the stipulated period, thousands of long-time voters who have been exercising their franchise for years could risk losing their voting rights due to procedural lapses.
The party has urged the Election Commission to conduct an impartial inquiry into the alleged irregularities, initiate strict action against officials found negligent, and ensure that every eligible voter receives the necessary SIR forms and assistance within the revised deadline.
Shiv Sena (UBT) maintained that the voter revision exercise must remain transparent, impartial and accessible to all eligible citizens to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
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