States » WestPosted at: Oct 17 2026 7:42PM

Mumbai, Oct 17 (UNI) Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh has alleged that 49 per cent of voters' names have been deleted from the electoral rolls in Maharashtra's Bhiwandi East constituency, while attempts were made to remove the names of nearly 12,000 additional voters.
Addressing a press conference at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh, Shaikh demanded the restoration of all eligible voters' names, an impartial investigation into the alleged irregularities and action against those found responsible.
Shaikh presented documents and other evidence to support his allegations. He said he had personally visited the homes of several voters whose names had been deleted and found that they were still residing at their registered addresses.
However, reports submitted by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) allegedly stated that the voters were either unavailable at home or had shifted elsewhere, he said.
The MLA also presented two voters at the press conference whose names he claimed had been wrongly removed from the electoral rolls.
Shaikh said he had submitted a written complaint, along with supporting evidence, to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar but alleged that no effective action had been taken so far.
According to the MLA, 540 objections were filed after the issue was raised, nearly 500 of which concerned Muslim voters. He expressed concern over the figures and alleged that members of the community were being deliberately targeted.
Shaikh further claimed that Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by the government were scrutinising forms and seeking the deletion of voters' names while BLOs were carrying out their duties. He demanded the removal of BLAs accused of acting in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and called for an investigation into their alleged role.
He also alleged that the deletions were part of a planned strategy to benefit the BJP candidate in the constituency.
The MLA demanded that the Election Commission ensure the restoration of eligible voters' names and conduct a transparent investigation into the matter. He also backed the INDIA bloc's campaign against the alleged irregularities and its demand for the cancellation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Clarifying his political position, Shaikh said he was a member of the Samajwadi Party and would continue to remain with the party. He added that he was in touch with party president Akhilesh Yadav and was working for the people under his guidance.
Shaikh said he would continue his efforts to protect the voting rights of eligible citizens and ensure that the names of voters wrongly removed from the electoral rolls were restored.
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