Pune Citizens’ Group Exposes Voter ID Discrepancies Ahead Of Lok Sabha Elections

The NSCC has raised an alarm over missing voter names and called for urgent action from the authorities.

29 April 2024

By Payoshi Bisht

In a recent development, a citizens’ group in Pune has brought to light significant concerns regarding missing voter names from electoral rolls, raising alarm bells ahead of the upcoming elections. The National Society for Clean Cities (NSCC) has penned a letter addressed to Rajeev Nandkar, Deputy Commissioner (Education, Encroachment & Training), urging immediate action to rectify the issue and ensure maximum citizen participation in the electoral process.

The letter, signed on behalf of concerned citizens across Pune, outlines several cases where individuals have been unable to locate their voter IDs despite concerted efforts. From senior citizens aged 75 and above to those with voter slips from previous elections, a diverse range of citizens has encountered difficulties in accessing their voter information online. The authorities had allegedly made changes in voter IDs with old and non-updated MT series IDs in the 2022 corporation election, due to which they are not able to vote in the upcoming elections. 

Maithili Manakwad, the Hon Secretary of the NSCC, Pune talked about the discrepancy and stated that among the most prominent cases highlighted is the Koregaon Park area of Pune, where voter IDs with specific patterns, such as old 11-digit IDs and those reflecting address changes in 2019, have seemingly disappeared from voter lists. Additionally, discrepancies in name spellings between Marathi and English versions have compounded the challenges faced by voters in locating their IDs.

Furthermore, she elaborated that the NSCC noted a concerning trend wherein nearly 3 to 4 % of senior citizens’ IDs were found to be deleted from each voter list, raising questions about the integrity and accuracy of the electoral rolls. These are regular voters who have been facing discrepancies. The deputy commissioner lauded the initiative taken up by the NSCC for it helped to spread awareness among citizens. 

Another member of the NSCC, Rohan Desai, based in Koregaon Park, has expressed his apprehension about the potential disenfranchisement of citizens on the day of voting. He stated that after consulting a team of lawyers and retired ECI commissioners, it was found that citizens with voter IDs made in the year 1994 are facing discrepancies as their IDs have been deleted from the record due to the picture being black and white. The estimated number of deleted voters is coming out to be around 30 to 40 thousand per constituency. There has been no information about the deletion and the government is refusing to act with transparency. 

In their plea to Deputy Commissioner Rajeev Nandkar, the NSCC urged concerned authorities to take immediate steps to rectify the discrepancies in the electoral rolls and facilitate maximum citizen participation in the democratic process. The NSCC will be deciding on a stand tonight after consulting lawyers and election experts on the situation.