Duplicate voter complaints can be filed till 48 hours before polling: SEC

Dinesh Waghmare said the State Election Commission does not have the power to add or delete voters from the electoral rolls obtained from the Election Commission of India

Mumbai: Maharashtra state election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare on Monday assured that duplicate entries in the electoral rolls for the upcoming civic elections have been identified, and that complaints related to such anomalies can be raised up to 48 hours before polling.

Mumbai: State Election Commissioner, Maharashtra, Dinesh Waghmare, centre, addresses a press conference regarding the schedule of the state municipal corporation polls, in Mumbai, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (PTI Photo)(PTI12_15_2025_000488B) (PTI)

Reacting to criticism from opposition parties over alleged anomalies in the electoral rolls, such as duplicate entries and the shifting of voters from one ward to another, Waghmare said the State Election Commission (SEC) does not have the power to add or delete voters from the electoral rolls obtained from the Election Commission of India.

“We, however, can make corrections regarding the inadvertent shifting of voters or missing names from the rolls used for the assembly polls. The corporations have developed their own software tool to find duplicate entries. Complaints related to duplicate voters will be accepted until 48 hours before polling, and such names will be flagged in the voters’ list,” he said.

Waghmare added that in cases of complaints related to voter impersonation, the genuine voter will be allowed to cast their vote on a ballot paper. He also said the SEC had issued a clarification in response to the Opposition’s complaints about voters allegedly registered at unusual addresses, including a toilet and the residence of the Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner.