Mumbai Univ to redo voter list for Senate election

The University of Mumbai (MU) will re-do the voter list for its Senate election after errors were found. Voter registration will be conducted from October 30 to November 30. Critics argue that the delay and re-registration process are a result of political interference.

The three-member committee appointed by the University of Mumbai (MU) to review the process of registration of voter lists clarified that there was an error in the voter list prepared for the Senate election (graduate constituency). After considering the committee report on Wednesday, the MU management council took a decision to re-do the voter list. The voter registration will now be conducted anew from October 30 to November 30.

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The university had announced the Senate election for 10 seats in the graduate constituency, and set August 18 as the last date for filing nominations. On the same day, BJP MLA Ashish Shelar wrote a letter to higher education minister Chandrakant Patil, raising concerns over the final electoral roll, and on August 17, the government asked the university to investigate Shelar’s complaint and defer the election after appointing a three-member committee under the chairmanship of R S Mali, former VC of the Bahinabai Chaudhari Uttar Maharashtra University, Jalgaon. The matter subsequently reached the Bombay high court, which also directed MU to announce the revised schedule by October 25 after holding a hearing.

On Wednesday, Mali, Parveen Syed, senior law officers of Savitribai Phule Pune University and Professor Prakash Kumar, MH Shinde College, Kolhapur, submitted their report. In the report, Mali highlighted that despite various options available for address proofs as per the law for voter registration, MU has stuck only with the Aadhaar number. Since many voters were unable to register because of this, the committee suggested the re-registration of voters.

Petitioner Sagar Deoare said he would move court on Thursday to challenge the new enrolment process. “As per the HC order dated October 9, MU has to declare the election schedule,” he said. “This is clear contempt of the court order. The election is already delayed by a year. It is clear that MU is being pressurised by the state government, and there is political interference.”