In the first phase of door-to-door survey undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to identify duplicate entries in the draft voters’ list that was published by the State Election Commission (SEC) last month, it has been revealed that nearly 41,057 entries are duplicate–which is 36 percent of the total 1.12 lakh entries that have been scrutinised by the authorities so far.
The first draft of the voters’ list showed that there were 11.01 lakh duplicate entries of individual voters in the list. The BMC then initiated a door-to-door inspection to ensure that only one genuine entry stays in the list. As part of the survey, the officials had bifurcated the total number of duplicate entries into two different lists. The first list comprises 2.25 lakh intra-ward entries or entries of duplicate names that are limited within the jurisdiction of one municipal ward. The second list, meanwhile, comprises 8.76 lakh inter-ward entries where any given name could be found in one or more wards as well.
Civic officials said at present the authorities have started scrutinising the intra-ward list where out of the 2.25 lakh total entries, 1.12 lakh or 50% of the entries have been scrutinised.
“Out of the 1.12 lakh entries that we have scrutinised, we have found 41,057 names to be duplicate entries. These names are found within the jurisdiction of only one given ward and there is no overlapping of names. For example, a duplicate name called Pramod Patil could be found within the jurisdiction G/South ward which covers the Worli area only,” a civic official said on Wednesday. Further, the official also said the inter-ward list is yet to be scrutinised by them.
“Usually, the maximum number of duplicate entries could be found within a single ward only. This mainly happens because of first time voters registering their names more than once in the system by mistake or due to network issues. Usually, going by past cases in Maharashtra, nearly 18-20 per cent of the total voter size are found to be duplicate,” the official added. The final list of the voters will be released by December 15 and officials said the list will comprise updated entries from both inter and intra ward lists.
Civic officials said that as part of the door-to-door visit, the authorities are visiting the addresses mentioned in the duplicate list. Upon identifying the original voter, the geo-location of the voter’s current address is being shared with the local ward office which is being recorded in a control chart. Alongside this, the voter is also made to sign an affidavit declaring that he or she will vote only from the present original address.
“This control list will be later issued to all booth level officers during the time of elections to ensure that there is absolute fairness in the electoral process,” the official said.
Further, civic officials also said the election commission has also given the BMC an access to the Electoral Registration Net (ERN) system which is a common database comprising voter’s details alongside their pictures and biometrics–likely to ease the overall methodology of scrutiny.
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The civic official also maintained that all the 25 assistant municipal commissioners in BMC have been made nodal officers for these drives. In Mumbai, the total number of voter count or electorate stands at 1.03 crore, which means that nearly 10.64% of the total voters in Mumbai have duplicate enrolment in the voters’ list.
Pratip Acharya is a seasoned journalist based in Mumbai reporting for The Indian Express. With a career spanning over a decade, his work demonstrates strong Expertise and Authority in critical urban issues, civic affairs, and electoral politics across Eastern and Western India.
Expertise & Authority
Current Role: Journalist, The Indian Express (IE), reporting from Mumbai.
Core Authority: Pratip's reporting focuses sharply on local democracy and development, specializing in:
Urban Governance and Civic Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis of municipal decision-making, city planning, and local infrastructure, essential for informed urban reporting.
City Politics and Environment: Covering the political dynamics of Mumbai and surrounding areas, alongside critical environmental challenges impacting the metro region.
Electoral Coverage (High-Stakes Experience): He has extensive experience in high-stakes political reporting, having covered major elections, establishing his Trustworthiness in political analysis:
National: Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019.
State: West Bengal Assembly elections in 2016 and Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019.
Major Assignments (Ground Reporting): Pratip demonstrated commitment during crises by conducting ground reporting throughout the Covid-19 pandemic since its breakout in 2020, offering first-hand accounts and analysis of the public health crisis.
Experience
Extensive Experience: Starting his career in 2014, Pratip has built his foundation across multiple prominent English dailies:
Started at The Times of India in Kolkata (2014).
Relocated to Mumbai (2016) and worked with The Free Press Journal and Hindustan Times before joining The Indian Express.
Pratip Acharya's diverse experience across major publications, coupled with his specialized focus on the intricate details of urban governance and a track record of covering major electoral and health crises, establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for news from India's critical metropolitan centres. ... Read More
