40 lakh ‘mystery voters’ show up on Maharashtra electoral rolls

Even as the uproar over EVMs by the opposition continues, data released by the ECI reveals that at least 40 lakh voters on the electoral rolls are excessive

MUMBAI: Even as the uproar over EVMs by the opposition continues, data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) reveals that at least 40 lakh voters on the electoral rolls, frozen ahead of the recent assembly elections, are excessive. An inflated voter list automatically has the effect of lowering overall voter turnout, leaving room for manipulation, EC officials pointed out.

Women wait in queues to cast their vote for the Maharashtra Assembly Elections, in Akola. (Neeraj Bhange/ANI)

Maharashtra has an estimated population of 12.73 crore, with an estimated 9.49 crore of these over the age of 18. Maharashtra’s adult population is estimated to be 74.44% of the total population. Of these, about 42.98 lakh youngsters would have been first-time voters. Only 22.22 lakh of these, however, have registered are voters, which means that about 20.76 lakh first-time voters are still out of the electoral rolls at the time of the recent polls.

Overall, the electoral rolls used in these assembly polls, meanwhile, listed 9.70 crore voters.

Given the number of young adults known to not be registered on the rolls, and the number of actual adults in the state, this figure of 9.70 crore clearly indicates a list inflated by at least 40 lakh voters. Some of this inflation is attributable to simple overlap and error: people who have shifted residence, for instance, and ended up registered in two places. Some could be deceased individuals who had not yet been taken off the rolls. There is also the possibility, of course, of deliberate attempts at inflation.

“This clearly indicates that the cleaning of the electoral roll needs to be done urgently,” a former election commission official said.

Officials from the state branch of the ECI, meanwhile, point to another factor: the large floating population in Maharashtra, which moves between cities, complicating a clean-up of the rolls. “The migration and shifting from city to city like Mumbai to Thane, Kalyan or the suburbs to within suburbs, is very high. Similarly, many voters in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai are originally from the Konkan and western Maharashtra, and tend to be erroneously registered in two places. They vote in local body polls in their villages and in Mumbai in general elections, for instance,” the official said.

He also pointed at the floating population that migrates from other states, and how this complicates the electoral rolls.

Another official from the state branch of the ECI pointed out that the estimated population figures could not be considered entirely scientific either, owing to the absence of a recent census. “We arrive at the estimated population of people over 18 based on the figures released by various institutes. But yes, there is whopping number of inflated voters that need to be removed,” he added.

Jagdeep Chhokar, founder member of the Association for Democratic Reforms, said, “Maintaining the electoral rolls is complex and the Election Commission cannot be held wholly responsible for it. But over 40 lakh extra voters may lead to all types of mala fide practices. In the absence of scientific population data, it is not even possible to arrive at an accurate estimate of how many voters there should be.”