NCP(SP) warns of agitation over 3 lakh double entries in Pune electoral rolls

The NCP(SP), along with its alliance partners, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress, have urged the Pune municipal commissioner to reach out to the State Election Commission and the Election Commission of India (ECI) to make necessary changes in the electoral rolls, he added.

“If the electoral roll is not purified, we will agitate across the city. If need be, we will also approach the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court to point out the problems in the electoral rolls that could impact the poll outcome,” Jagtap further said.

Jagtap also alleged that the draft electoral roll shows that several voters residing in the jurisdiction of a particular ward have been distributed across seven different wards. “If this involved residents living near the boundary of the electoral ward, it would have been understood as a mistake. But, residents from the central area of the ward are being placed in other wards,” he claimed.

Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram had said on Thursday that though there were double entries of voters, the civic body did not have the power to delete them from the electoral rolls. The civic body would reach out to these voters and ensure that they vote only once, he said.

There are 41 electoral wards under the Pune Municipal Corporation, from which 165 corporators will be elected—four from each of the 40 wards and five from one ward. In October, the Maharashtra government had declared that those enrolled in the voter list till July 1 will be able to vote during the upcoming PMC elections.