In Maharashtra SIR draft electoral roll, 1.8 crore names likely to be deleted

The 1.80 crore have landed in the ‘uncollectable' category, which will not feature in the August 24 Maharashtra SIR draft electoral roll.

3 min readUpdated: Aug 12, 2026 08:14 PM IST

In first draft electoral roll of Maharashtra SIR, names of 1.8 crore voters will likely be deleted. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)

Maharashtra SIR: Maharashtra is likely to see the deletion of around 1.8 crore voters from the draft electoral roll to be published on August 24 as a part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in the state.

Of the 1.8 crore deletions, Mumbai is likely to see the most number of deletions at around 30 lakh – nearly 29 percent – from the draft electoral roll.

“As of today, we have completed digitisation of 77.77 percent Enumeration Forms. The percentage of uncollectable EFs is 18.46 percent, which means these voters are either absent, shifted, deceased, or duplicate. The remaining four percent forms are currently not digitised,” said Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Chockalingam, appealing to citizens to fill the EFs in the last remaining four days.

S Chockalingam said the digitisation and mapping of electoral data was an ongoing process and information relating to around four per cent of voters was still being processed. The data collected so far accounts for around 96.1 per cent of the electorate, he said.

Who are the 1.8 crore in ‘uncollectable’ list?

According to the data, out of 9.78 crore voters, the 1.80 crore have landed in the ‘uncollectable’ category, which will not feature in the August 24 Maharashtra SIR draft electoral roll.

Mumbai has recorded a significantly higher proportion of ‘uncollectable’ compared to the state’s data, with 63 per cent of voters’ data digitised and 29 per cent ‘uncollectable’, he said. The remaining seven percent is yet to be finalised.

But, Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer has asserted that deletion of 1.8 crore voters is not unusual.

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“The possibility of deletion of 18 percent voters is not an unusual incident. If we see the national average, we have witnessed that the deletion of voters in many states is around 13 to 18% of total voters,” said Chockalingam.

At the district level, the digitisation of enumerated forms is only 63 percent in Mumbai (both city and suburban), and as many as 30 per cent voters are ‘uncollectable’ in the capital city.

The “uncollectable” 1.80 crore are those who were not available at their registered addresses; hence, their details may consequently not reflect in the electoral roll, Chockalingam said, adding, “The electoral roll is changing every day as the process is ongoing.”

The Maharashtra CEO said, “If a name is not appearing in the draft list, new voters can file Form 6 to be enrolled as voters after August 24. Even the voters whose names will be missing can also fill Form 6 to be included as voters.”

Alok Deshpande

Alok Deshpande is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express' Mumbai bureau, recognized for his focused and authoritative reporting on governance, politics, and the socio-economic dynamics of Maharashtra's hinterlands. His unique academic background in Geology and early work in the water sector provides a specialized layer of Expertise to his reporting on resource and environmental issues. Expertise Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express, Mumbai. Core Authority: Alok provides detailed coverage of Maharashtra politics and governance, with a particular emphasis on how policies and power struggles affect the rural and semi-urban areas (the 'hinterlands'). Key Coverage Areas: His reports frequently focus on high-stakes administrative and political topics, including: State Assembly Proceedings: In-depth reporting on the Legislative Assembly, covering ministerial statements, legislative debates, and inter-party conflict within the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Policy & Finance: Coverage of state finances, including supplementary budget demands, fiscal deficits, and major government schemes (e.g., Jal Jeevan Mission, Ladki Bahin Yojana). Rural and Social Issues: Reports on critical health issues (e.g., child deaths in districts), human-animal conflict (leopard attacks, stray dogs), and agrarian concerns (e.g., farmer suicides). Local and Urban Governance: Covers major announcements regarding urban development (e.g., BMC's OC amnesty scheme, pagdi system push) and local body elections, including political defections and alliance splits. Unique Credentials & Trustworthiness Academic Specialization: Holds a Post-graduate degree in Geology. This background gives him a foundational understanding of natural resources, which directly informs his reporting on environment, water, and infrastructure projects. Early Professional Experience: His shift to journalism came after working with an NGO focused on the water sector. This practical experience strengthens his Expertise in critical areas like water management and rural development, as evidenced by his reporting on the Jal Jeevan Mission. Journalism Training: An alumnus of the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, confirming his formal training and commitment to rigorous journalistic standards. Alok Deshpande's rare combination of scientific education, non-profit sector experience, and deep political reporting makes him a highly trusted and authoritative voice on the governance and ground realities of Maharashtra. He tweets @alokdesh ... Read More

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