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BMC launches major drive to remove 11 lakh duplicate names from voter list
- by Webdesk
- 26 Nov 2025
Source: Hindustan Times
Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has officially started the lengthy and meticulous exercise of removing 1.1 million duplicate entries detected in the draft voter list for the upcoming civic polls. According to the civic administration, these duplicated entries actually relate to approximately 4.33 lakh unique voters whose names have appeared more than once on the list. In several instances, the same voter has been listed two or three times — and in one extraordinary case, the name of a single voter has reportedly been repeated 103 times across multiple wards.
To address the issue, booth-level officers along with ward-level teams have now begun door-to-door verification. They are visiting the residences of every voter whose name appears more than once to obtain their signatures on an undertaking stating that they will vote in only one ward. Since the BMC has no authority to delete names directly from the electoral rolls, the civic body is taking an alternative approach: once voters declare the ward in which they intend to vote, instructions will be issued to ensure that they are barred from voting in all other wards where their names appear.
This massive clean-up drive was initiated after the State Election Commission (SEC) issued a circular on November 25, directing the civic body to take suo-motu responsibility for correcting the draft voter list. Considering the sheer volume of corrections required, the SEC has granted BMC time until one week before the election date — which is when polling-station-wise voter lists are distributed to political parties — to finish the entire rectification process.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Joshi explained that the administration will hold a training session on Friday for all assistant municipal commissioners and ward-level staff to ensure uniformity in the procedure. She added that although the earlier deadline was December 5, the civic body now has an extended timeline, allowing it to complete the cleansing of the rolls systematically without rushing the process.
To make voter verification smoother, the SEC has opened multiple channels for citizens to check whether their names appear more than once. The official BMC website now features a search tool that allows voters to locate their names and detect duplication. Additionally, special voter assistance counters will be established across all ward offices as well as the BMC headquarters. These desks will help citizens locate their names on the list and fill out rectification forms on the spot if duplication is discovered.
Further, the civic administration has announced that it will also accept third-party objections regarding duplicate names. A BMC official clarified that complainants will not be required to provide supporting evidence, and field officers will personally visit and verify the accuracy of any objection raised. This decision was taken to encourage public participation and expedite cleaning the rolls.
According to SEC guidelines, the corrections must go beyond duplicate removals. Clerical mistakes, inadvertently repeated names and names that went missing despite being present in the 2024 Assembly election voter rolls, all need to be restored or rectified before the final polling station-wise list is published and distributed.
Officials familiar with the matter have noted that ensuring a clean and accurate voter list is crucial for the fairness of the upcoming BMC elections. Duplicate names have been at the centre of political debate in recent weeks, with multiple parties insisting that an inflated and error-ridden list could lead to voting malpractice or manipulation on election day. The SEC, through this large-scale intervention, aims to eliminate that possibility and restore confidence in the electoral process.
Although a significant challenge lies ahead given the magnitude of duplication, civic officials maintain that the process is underway efficiently and will be executed on time. With door-to-door verification, voter declarations, multiple help centers, and an online self-check system running simultaneously, the BMC believes that the errors will be cleared before the final voter list is handed over to political parties.
Once completed, a revised and fully verified roll will be issued, paving the way for a transparent and dispute-free civic election in Mumbai.
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