The Election Commission has capped voter list deletion applications at 10 per person during the claims and objections period of Maharashtra’s Special Intensive Revision, raising new questions about how online and offline submissions will be combined and verified.
The directive, issued on 9 October, allows an individual to submit a maximum of 10 applications during the current claims and objections period. The limit applies jointly to applications submitted through the voter services portal and those filed physically with booth-level officers or election offices.
During routine voter list updation, the limit will be five applications per person each month. The current claims and objections period ends on 12 October, while the final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on 16 November.
According to the report by Pudhari – Pune, 18,748 applications seeking deletion of names from voter lists had been filed in Maharashtra by 8 October under the revision exercise. The new cap follows an earlier online limit that allowed up to six applications to be submitted at a time. There had not been an equivalent uniform restriction on applications submitted with physical documents.
Senior officials in the office of Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer said applications received through the voter services portal would be checked against those submitted to booth-level officers and election offices. The authorities will examine whether the same person has filed repeated applications before deciding further action, according to the report.
The process is significant because a deletion request does not by itself authorise the removal of a voter’s name. Election Commission instructions require officials to verify the applicant’s identity using details in the electoral roll, confirm the original signature and check whether the application is complete. Before a voter’s name is removed, the concerned voter must be served a notice and given an opportunity to present their case.
Social workers have called for every application to be examined separately and carefully. The report also cites complaints that, in some places, booth-level officers have not reached concerned voters for physical verification. These concerns place greater importance on how officials will process applications filed before the new limit was announced and how they will prevent eligible voters from being removed by mistake.
The source report said deliberate submission of false information or a false declaration may attract action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The next formal milestones are the 12 October deadline for claims and objections and publication of the final electoral roll on 16 November.
