States » WestPosted at: Sep 27 2026 5:25PM


Congress MLA Amin Patel Welcomes ECI Relaxation Of SIR Norms, Raises Concern Over Voter Deletions

Mumbai, Sep 27 (UNI) Congress MLA Amin Patel on Sunday welcomed the Election Commission of India's decision to relax certain procedures under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, but expressed concern over the deletion of a large number of names from the voters' list in Maharashtra including a significant percentage in Mumbai.
Patel said the revised procedure, under which Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit the homes of voters whose names have been marked as 'unmapped' or showing 'logical discrepancies', would help genuine voters.
He said the Congress had raised concerns with the Election Commission when the SIR exercise started, especially over the verification process.
"In the new list, the names of around two crore people have been deleted in Maharashtra, while around 35-40 per cent of names have been deleted in Mumbai," he said.
Patel alleged that in several cases BLOs had not visited voters' homes during verification and some voters were marked as unavailable.
He welcomed the decision to allow doorstep verification and relax the requirement for personal hearings, saying it would reduce difficulties for eligible voters and help protect their voting rights.
Under the revised SIR procedure announced by the ECI on Friday, voters who receive notices will generally not have to appear personally before the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO), except in exceptional cases.
The ECI said BLOs would visit the residences of voters whose records require verification and collect the required documents. Online hearings would be preferred wherever a hearing is necessary.
The Commission also clarified that receiving a notice would not automatically result in deletion of a voter's name from the electoral roll.
Following a request from the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra, the ECI has extended the deadline for filing claims and objections to October 12, 2026.
The disposal of notices will be completed by November 10, while the final electoral roll will be published on November 16.
Voters can check their names and submit corrections through the ECI's online citizen services portal.
UNI AAA CDS
Tags: #Congress MLA Amin Patel Welcomes ECI Relaxation Of SIR Norms# Raises Concern Over Voter Deletions
More News

Maha: Three critical patients evacuated by air from flood-ravaged Bhamragad

27 Sep 2026 | 8:18 PM

Gadchiroli, Sep 27 (UNI) In a swift medical evacuation operation amid severe flooding in Bhamragad tehsil of Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, three critically ill patients were airlifted to Hedri on Sunday for advanced treatment, officials said.

see more..

Actress held for alleged sex racket in Thane

27 Sep 2026 | 7:44 PM

Mumbai, Sep 27 (UNI) The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Thane Crime Branch has arrested an actress for allegedly running a prostitution racket and luring young women from the entertainment industry into commercial sex work, police said on Sunday.

see more..

Promote bamboo economy for sustainable development: Maha Gov

27 Sep 2026 | 6:53 PM

Mumbai, Sep 27 (UNI) Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma on Sunday called for expanding the use of bamboo through modern technology, research and commercialisation to promote sustainable development, create jobs and protect the environment.

see more..

Chavan seeks probe into ECI functioning, removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar

27 Sep 2026 | 6:11 PM

Kolhapur, Sep 27 (UNI) Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Sunday demanded a thorough investigation into the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and sought initiation of the process for removing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from office, citing a report published by The Indian Express.

see more..

Maha: Poet Ramesh Redekar advocates for embracing, not imposition of Marathi language

27 Sep 2026 | 5:51 PM

Pune, Sep 27 (UNI) Noted Marathi poet Ramesh Redekar has raised his voice against imposition of Marathi language on non-native speakers and asked people to embrace the language with devotion, instead.

see more..