Opposition Fears Bihar, Bengal-Like Voter Exclusions In Maharashtra

Mumbai: Trinamool Congress’ drubbing in the West Bengal assembly elections has made the opposition parties in Maharashtra wary of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra. Large-scale voter exclusion seen in Bihar and West Bengal may recur in Maharashtra during the SIR process, warned Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh.

A day after the Election Commission announced the SIR of electoral rolls in Maharashtra, Shaikh on Friday urged the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders to immediately constitute a state-level task force to monitor the process.

In a letter addressed to Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal, Shiv Sena leader and MP Sanjay Raut, and NCP (SP) state president Shashikant Shinde, Shaikh said the opposition alliance must set up a task force to guide voters, train booth-level agents (BLAs), and coordinate with the Election Commission during the revision exercise.

“The SIR process in Bihar and West Bengal led to large-scale voter exclusions, particularly among tribals, Dalits, minorities and other vulnerable groups. Nearly 68 lakh voters in Bihar and 91 lakh in West Bengal were left out during similar exercises. Maharashtra could face a comparable situation if opposition parties fail to act in time,” he warned.

“In the recent West Bengal Assembly elections, constituencies where up to 25,000 names were deleted from the electoral rolls witnessed a significant electoral impact. The BJP won 95 such seats, while the Trinamool Congress secured 51, leading to the TMC’s defeat,” Shaikh added.

The SP MLA further said that, as part of the SIR exercise, booth-level officers (BLOs) will visit voters’ homes between June 30 and July 29. “Voters will need assistance in understanding documentation requirements, procedures for adding new voters, and the process for filing objections. Parties in the INDIA bloc are already conducting camps and training programmes related to the SIR exercise. A joint task force is needed to train BLAs of all parties and coordinate with the state Chief Electoral Officer and the Election Commission,” he said.

Shaikh added the MVA must take immediate steps. “Otherwise, we will not be able to stop voter suppression by the ruling dispensation. The proposed state-level task force should include representatives from all alliance partners,” he said.