Pune: Over 40% SIR enumeration forms in 25 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra were tagged “uncollectable”, triggering fear of large-scale deletion of names from draft electoral rolls and demand for a detailed, booth-wise breakdown of the exercise from civil society organisations as well as political parties.Of the total 9.78 crore electors in the state, as many as 7.71 crore (78.85%) submitted filled and signed forms. The remaining 2.07 crore electors (21.15%) were included in the absent, shifted, deceased, duplicate or others list. Found ineligible for inclusion in the draft electoral rolls, their forms were labelled uncollectable.Thane district emerged as the worst performer. Uncollectable forms surpassed the 40%-mark in 11 of its 25 constituencies. Bhiwandi East constituency recorded the highest uncollectable forms in the state at 49.1%, followed by other Thane seats, including Kalyan Rural and Bhiwandi West.Pune district followed with seven constituencies in this bracket — Khadakwasla, Kothrud, Hadapsar, Shivajinagar, Pimpri (SC), Parvati and Pune Cantonment (SC). Mumbai City contributed two seats — Colaba and Sion Koliwada. Mumbai Suburban’s Chandivali and Mankhurd-Shivajinagar also crossed the 40% threshold, alongside Raigad’s Panvel, Palghar’s Nalasopara and Nagpur West.Political parties’ members and a delegation under the Maharashtra SIR Jagruti Abhiyan — a platform of over 20 civil society groups and alliances — are now demanding polling booth-wise data on uncollectable forms. “Almost 2.07 crore forms remained uncollected in Maharashtra. This seems to be the largest number among states. According to updates from several districts, BLOs did not visit homes. Not enough publicity was given to the SIR (Special Intensive Review) of electoral rolls. In cities, several families were divided into different booths, making the task equally difficult for BLOs and voters. We will demand more information, and correction of gaps and anomalies to avoid such large-scale deletions,” said Ulka Mahajan, the national convener of Bharat Jodo Abhiyan, also associated with the Maharashtra SIR Jagruti Abhiyan.A representative of the Maha SIR Abhiyan said aggregated figures concealed sharp variations. “A district figure of 30-40% uncollectable forms tells us nothing about genuine voters getting excluded from which booths and buildings. We need polling station-wise data to identify where the problem is concentrated and intervene before the rolls are finalised.”Opposition parties sought a comprehensive analysis covering all 288 assembly seats, not merely the 25 that crossed the 40%-mark. “Every voter deserves to know if his/her name is secured in the rolls. Even a 10-15% uncollectable rate can mean tens of thousands of voters at risk,” said a party leader.A voters’ rights functionary said, “The commission must publish assembly-wise and booth-wise data in the public domain. Anything less makes it difficult to verify whether entire pockets of voters — especially in dense urban and migrant localities — have simply been left out.”“The draft electoral rolls will be published shortly. Soft and hard copies will be shared with recognised parties. A one-month claims-and-objections window will follow, during which electors missing from the rolls — and new voters turning 18 by Oct 1, 2026 — can apply via Form 6. Form 8 allows corrections and Form 7 permits objections to entries. “Those left out or in absent or shifted list, can fill up Form 6,’’ said an election official.Akole (ST) in Ahmednagar at 6.11% recorded the state’s lowest uncollectable forms against Bhiwandi East’s 49.1% — underscoring the persistent urban-rural gap. Officials said uncollectable status didn’t mean automatic disenfranchisement. People whose names do not figure in the draft electoral rolls will have to fill up Form 6 to get included in the voters’ list ahead of elections, the officials added. The draft rolls will be published on Aug 31.
