States » WestPosted at: Oct 6 2026 1:34PM


Fadnavis releases SIR data, rejects Thackerays’ claims of voter-list manipulation

Mumbai, Oct 6 (UNI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday released data from the state’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, rejecting opposition allegations that the exercise is being used to manipulate voter lists.
“Accurate and up-to-date voter lists are the basis of a reliable election process. Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an important process to ensure that every eligible citizen gets the right to vote and that entries in the voter list remain accurate and reliable. The draft voter list was published on August 31, 2026, under SIR 2026 in Maharashtra,” Fadnavis said in a post on Tuesday morning.

The move came two days after a massive ‘Garjana Morcha’ march led by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Founder-President Raj Thackeray on Sunday, accusing the Election Commission of “systematic vote theft”and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
In a detailed post on social media platform X, CM Fadnavis presented what he termed the “official figures” from the voters’ list revision exercise.
According to the data posted by Fadnavis, Maharashtra’s basic voters’ list contains more than 9.78 crore voters. However, the draft voters’ list released on August 31, 2026, contains 7.71 crore names.
The Chief Minister clarified that the names of citizens whose enumeration forms were not received have been excluded from the draft voters’ list.
These excluded names have been published separately under the Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD) category.
“The SIR process is a transparent, scientific exercise to clean up and update the electoral rolls,” Fadnavis said.
“Eligible citizens who have been excluded have the full opportunity to re-register through Form 6. Additionally, new voters who have turned 18 by October 1, 2026, can also apply. Names can be checked on the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) website or the Voter Services Portal using the Electors’ Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number or mobile phone number,” Fadnavis said.
At Sunday’s “Garjana Morcha” in south Mumbai, Raj Thackeray accused the Election Commission of allowing large-scale irregularities in the voter lists and alleged that between four million and six million voters had been “suddenly increased” during the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Although the Mahayuti alliance won a majority in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election, Raj Thackeray alleged that the result did not reflect the will of voters because votes had been “stolen”.
“Even though the Mahayuti got a majority in the 2024 elections, there were no celebrations. Instead, there was silence. That is because the votes were not cast by the people. They were stolen,” Raj Thackeray alleged during the march.
He called for the SIR exercise to be scrapped in Maharashtra and for future elections to be conducted using ballot papers.
He claimed that around 40 lakh to 60 lakh voters were “suddenly increased” in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, accusing the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP.
Raj Thackeray demanded the immediate cancellation of the SIR exercise in Maharashtra and called for future elections to be conducted using ballot papers.
“We need to return to ballot papers for the sake of transparency,” Raj Thackeray said.
Opposition parties have also questioned the exclusion of nearly two crore voters from the draft electoral roll, alleging that the exercise could disenfranchise legitimate voters.
Fadnavis, however, has defended the revision as necessary to identify and remove duplicate, deceased and otherwise ineligible entries while allowing eligible voters to have their names restored.
With the Maharashtra Assembly elections are on the horizon, the voters’ list controversy is rapidly emerging as a major political flashpoint.
UNI BA AAB
Tags: #Fadnavis releases SIR data# rejects Thackerays’ claims of voter-list manipulation
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