BMC Election

Anger, disappointment as citizens run around and don’t find names on list

by Web Desk | Updated: 2017-02-22

Widespread deletion of names from voters’ list caused resentment across the spectrum on Tuesday In north Mumbai, the complaints began right from the start of polling. Angry voters squarely blamed the Election Commission. “My mother and brother’s names are on the list. But my name is missing though I voted in the last election. If they are committing such blunders, I don’t know how they going to improve the voting percentage,“ said Rashmin Desai, who had come to cast her vote in ward 8 at Borivli. Kalpesh Vasani had come all the way from Powai to vote in his old ward 8, but found the names of his entire family missing from the voter’s list.

In the slum pockets of Mankhurd and Govandi in the east, a large number of daily wagers skipped work to vote, only to face bitter disappointment. Auto driver Usman Ansari began his day at 7.30 am and visited all the booths in Govandi’s Lotus Colony but could not vote as his name was not on any list. “I have voted in every single election so far. For us who live in slums, the BMC election is more important that state or parliamentary polls,“ he said.

Subhash Sawant, 45, from Mankhurd village works as driver in a private company. He took the day off, losing out on daily payment of Rs 500 and then found his name was not on the list. “The voting right is our biggest right. Today our name is off the voter list, tomorrow it will be removed from the Aadhar card and ration card,“ he fumed.

Mukesh Mhatre, whose wife Sheetal is contesting on a Shiv Sena ticket at Dahisar, was tense after complaints of missing names started pouring in. “They came up with a revised list recently and yet so many names have gone missing,“ he said. Ashish Patil, MNS worker in Aarey , said candidates were given a list of voters when they filed their nomination papers. A week later, they got an updated list. “The BMC officials at the booths have the old list and the candidates the updated list. The serial numbers of voters in the two lists don’t match and so the confusion. We quickly got the old list and sorted out the matter in ward 52 and 53,“ he said.

Booth managers wore a harassed look and at times got into arguments with angry voters with their names missing. “Names of several senior citizens are not on the new voters list. Those of the younger family members are there,“ said a BJP activist at Borivli.

Yogesh Sagar, BJP MLA from Charkop, said names of residents of entire buildings were missing. “At Dahanukarwadi, Laljipada it has been utter chaos,“ he said.