PUNE, 4 DEC. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is facing an uphill task as it processes a staggering 22,809 suggestions and objections submitted by citizens concerning errors in the draft electoral rolls for the forthcoming civic elections. This high volume of complaints comes after the civic body faced intense criticism, including protests from the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, over significant anomalies in the lists published on November 20.
The Extent of the Errors
The main issues cited by citizens and political parties include multiple errors such as the inclusion of voters residing outside the PMC's limits, names being abruptly shifted to wards far from their actual residence, and a significant number of duplicate entries. Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram had earlier acknowledged the existence of approximately three lakh duplicate entries but noted that the PMC only has the power to ensure a voter casts their vote only once, not to delete such entries outright.
Ward-Wise Application Load
The State Election Commission (SEC) had to extend the deadline to submit these suggestions and objections until December 3 to accommodate the large number of complaints. The maximum number of submissions was received from the Sinhagad Road ward office area, totaling 6,308 applications, followed closely by the Nagar Road-Vadgaonsheri ward office with 5,617 applications. The civic administration is now under pressure to expedite the rectification process, with 9,863 objections filed on the final day alone.
The Correction Process
Prasad Katkar, the official in charge of the civic election department, confirmed that the PMC will consider all the applications seeking changes. Dedicated teams have been deployed across the 14 ward offices to conduct field visits and scrutinize the objections. After verification, relevant changes will be made directly, and in a few complex cases, a formal hearing will be conducted. The PMC is aiming to publish the final, corrected ward-wise and polling booth-wise electoral rolls in the next few days.
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