In 3 Maharashtra constituencies, number of voters in SIR draft less than votes cast in 2024

In 11 constituencies, number of voters deleted exceeds number of unpolled votes in 2024

4 min readPuneUpdated: Sep 10, 2026 10:14 AM IST

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In Bhiwandi East, 1,91,734 (51.31% turnout) votes were cast in 2024 but now only 1,91,446 voters remain on the draft voter roll, a decrease of 288 voters. Here, 1,84,692 voters were deleted in total out of which 86,256 were ‘untraceable’.

In three of the 288 Assembly constituencies in Maharashtra, the number of voters present in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) draft voter roll is less than the number of votes cast in the 2024 state Assembly elections. According to an analysis of the draft roll data and 2024 election turnout data by The Indian Express, huge deletions in Khadakwasla, Kalyan Rural and Bhiwandi East have resulted in this pattern.

In Khadakwasla, 3,26,720 votes (56.66% turnout) were cast in 2024 but now only 3,19,263 voters remain on the draft voter roll after SIR deletions, a decrease of 7,457 voters. To make matters worse, this subtraction accounts for only the number of votes cast, and not the ‘true’ voters who did not vote in the 2024 election.

In Khadakwasla, a total of 2,77,851 voters have been marked for deletion in the SIR draft. Out of these, 2,32,600 have been marked ‘untraceable’, meaning that Booth Level Officers (BLO) simply could not locate them.

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Similarly in Kalyan Rural, 2,96,080 (58.02% turnout) votes were cast in 2024 but now only 2,95,503 voters remain on the SIR draft voter roll, a decrease of 577 voters. Here, 2,52,247 voters have been marked for deletion and 1,86,367 of these voters were ‘untraceable’.

The SIR of voter rolls is currently being carried out in the state by the Election Commission based on mapping with the 2002 voter roll.

In 11 constituencies, deletion more than unpolled votes

Further analysis shows that in 11 constituencies, the number of voters deleted from the SIR draft roll exceeds the number of unpolled votes in the 2024 state Assembly elections. This deletion pattern is seen in Nalasopara, Kalyan Rural, Khadakwasla, Boisar, Panvel, Kalyan East, Purandar, Uran, Bhiwandi West, Bhiwandi East, and Kalyan West. The difference ranges between negative 48,424 in Nalasopara to negative 2,343 in Kalyan West.

What is SIR?

The SIR of voter rolls is currently being carried out in the state by the Election Commission based on mapping with the 2002 voter roll. In the SIR draft voter list published on August 31, 2.06 crore voters were removed in the state, bringing down the total voter count from 9.78 crore to 7.71 crore.

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Voters have been removed for reasons like Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate, or Other (ASDDO) reasons. The number of deletions raise a serious question on the process, wherein a significant percentage of people have been marked ‘Untraceable/Absent’.

The State Chief Electoral Officer has said that people wrongly left out of the draft list should fill form 6 in time. During the 2024 assembly elections, the state had a total of 9,70,25,119 registered voters. Before the SIR in 2026 the state had 9,78,54,049 registered voters, reflecting an increase of over eight lakh voters over two years.

Opposition parties raise questions

Opposition parties have criticised the large number of deletions during the SIR process in Maharashtra. NCP (SP) national spokesperson Anish Gawande has posted on X saying, “Prima facie, this is selective disenfranchisement. The Election Commission cannot expect Maharashtra to stay silent. 3/4ths of these exclusions rest on no document whatsoever, except for a Booth Level Officer’s word that a voter could not be found.”

Congress national spokesperson Atul Londhe similarly posted, “After seeing the Maharashtra SIR list I’ve become convinced that this is a special intensive deletion.”

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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