Nashik: A major discrepancy has come to light during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with the ages of 2,70,313 voters across Maharashtra reportedly recorded incorrectly. Of these, as many as 2,37,974 voters belong to Nashik district, accounting for nearly 88% of the affected entries across the state. The error occurred because the year of birth was mistakenly recorded as 1900, making several voters appear to be between 101 and 150 years old in the draft electoral rolls.
The discrepancy was attributed to a technical error in the Election Commission of India's information technology system.
Kalwan, Chandwad And Deolali Among Worst-Affected Constituencies
The constituencies of Kalwan, Chandwad and Deolali in Nashik district reportedly accounted for a significant number of incorrect age entries. The large-scale discrepancy has raised questions about the accuracy of the data management systems used during the electoral roll revision process.
The issue was not limited to isolated mistakes in individual voters' details. The recurrence of the same error across thousands of records indicated a systemic problem, bringing the reliability of the verification and updating mechanisms used for electoral data under scrutiny.
Repeated Follow-Up With Election Commission
Recognising the seriousness of the discrepancy, the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer's office raised the issue with the Information Technology Division of the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sept 2, 2026. A follow-up communication was sent on Sept 8.
As the required information was not made available, Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam wrote to the Senior Deputy Election Commissioner on Sept 17, seeking the necessary details on priority.
The correspondence highlighted the need to compare voters' birth dates recorded before the SIR exercise with those entered in the enumeration forms submitted during the revision process.
Following a response received on Oct 5, the technical error was reportedly rectified on Oct 6. The correction thus took more than a month after the state election machinery first raised the issue.
Transparency Of SIR Process Under Scrutiny
The primary objective of the Special Intensive Revision is to improve the accuracy of electoral rolls, identify duplicate entries and update voter information. However, the recording of 1900 as the year of birth across thousands of records has raised concerns about the reliability of the process.
The episode has also highlighted the dependence of state-level election officials on the Election Commission's central information technology division for access to and correction of electoral data. The timely availability of accurate information to state and district-level officials is essential for ensuring transparency and accountability during electoral roll revision.
Voters Advised To Verify Their Details
Although the technical error has reportedly been corrected, voters should verify their names, dates of birth, ages and other particulars in the electoral rolls. If any discrepancy is found, they should contact the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) concerned or the election office to initiate the necessary correction.
