PMC polls: Missing names, multiple lists frustrate many

Despite not finding their names in multiple lists, voters did not give up.

PMC polls, pune municipal elections, missing names, voter list, voters list, pune news, indian express news

A senior citizen trying to locate her name on the voters’ list in Ramanbaug on Tuesday. (Source: Sandeep Daundkar)

Iman Khan, a resident of Vikas Nagar who stays right behind Mayor Prashant Jagtap’s home at Wanowrie, was disappointed as he could not cast his vote. “I have been voting for every election and my name is not registered at the Kroot Memorial School here,” he said. Like Khan, several residents could not find their names at the polling booths where they had voted in the previous elections.

Musaa Ismail Shaikh couldn’t find either his or his wife’s name in the list in NIBM-Kausarbaug-Kondhwa area. “I have been going around in different booths with my wife, who is severely diabetic, since 9 am. It is 12.30 pm now. At each booth, they tell us that our name is not there. They said check the name in the online list but I don’t know how to do these things,” he said.

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Ajay Agarwal and his wife Neeta, who stay near Anantpur trust at Salunke Vihar, visited more than four polling booths but were unable to find their names.

“We had voted at the polling booth at Azad Nagar last time but now our names are not there,” he said, adding that they could not find their names till 2 pm.

Families who came together also had a trying time locating their names. While Sabinissa Yusuf Inamdar could cast her vote at Kroot Memorial School at Wanowrie, names of two other members of her family were not registered in this polling booth. “Where do we search now?” she asked.

Meanwhile, volunteers from other political parties posted at various polling booths that they were unable to find their names. Shirsat Rafael Daniyal, who stays at Clover Society, could not find his name at some polling booths in Wanowrie.

Senior Congressman Balasaheb Shivarkar too, pointed out that he had to cast his vote at Uday Baugh, as against the polling booth at St. Patrick’s town, while his son Abhijeet Shivarkar had to cast his vote at Mahadji Shinde School.

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Nilesh Navle, who stays near Shinde Chattri found his name registered at Sun Grace School booth, while he was still looking for the names of his other family members.

In Koregaon Park, seven members of the Pingle family were able to vote but not the head of the family. “My father could not vote. Despite being a senior citizen, he made two rounds to the voting booth but his name was missing,” said Yogesh Pingle.

Despite not finding their names in multiple lists, voters did not give up. NIBM Road resident Poonam Ashok Handa spent three hours trying to search for her name at different booths.

“I went to all the booths from Konark Pooram Society to Salunkhe Vihar and yet couldn’t find my name. Even my daughter’s name is missing. It is really upsetting but I won’t give up,” said Handa, who then visited the sitting corporator’s office as a last resort.

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Sadiya Merchant, a professor who resides at Salunkhe Vihar, was able to cast her vote but the names of her husband, mother-in-law and cousin were missing from the list. “My husband tried really hard and had visited several booths, but he couldn’t find his name,” she said.

Another voter from Koregaon Park, 76-year-old Kalyan Chakravarti, said he has voted at every election, but this time, his name was missing.

“Despite having a Voter Identity Card, I can’t cast my vote. I’m willing to go anywhere but I don’t know whom to approach.”

In Raviwar Peth, Yusuf Nooruddin Patrawala too, could not locate his name. “I have my Voter Identity Card but could not find my name at the polling booth, where I had voted previously,” he said.

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In Pimpri-Chinchwad, meanwhile, missing names of voters was not a major issue, but different polling stations for the same family members was an issue in some of the wards.

Laxman More, a voter from Panel 13 (Yamunanagar), said six members of his family were allocated three different polling centres. “Around 10 per cent of the voters in our area could not find their names. Some had complained of distant polling booths, which did not allow them to vote,” he said.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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