Minister falls victim to voters’ list mismanagement in Maharashtra civic polls

Maharashtra Forest Minister and senior BJP leader Ganesh Naik on Thursday claimed that his name was missing from the voters’ list for the Navi Mumbai civic polls, forcing him to run between polling centres for several hours before he was finally able to cast his vote.

Naik said he had been voting for years at Navi Mumbai Municipal School No. 94 along with his family, but this time officials directed him to vote at St Mary High School instead.

“When I went there, I was told my booth was room number 9, but there was no such room. My name was also not in the voters’ list, so I could not cast my vote,” Naik told reporters outside School No. 94 earlier in the day.

He later returned to St Mary High School, where he said he discovered that the names of his family members and relatives — all residents of the same building — had been scattered across three different polling centres.

After multiple visits to the polling locations, the minister eventually found his name in the electoral roll and exercised his franchise at St Mary School.

“When I came back here again, the local authorities told me my name was in the list. I went to the booth and cast my vote,” Naik said. “But looking at the overall chaos, I feel the officials are not working up to the mark. They should have been more careful.”

Blame on election authorities

Reacting to the episode, Naik squarely blamed the SEC (State Election Commission) for the lapse.

“It is anyone’s guess that if a minister like me can face a situation where his name is missing from the voters’ list, then one can imagine what might be happening to common voters,” he said.

The incident came amid voting for elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, in what is being seen as a crucial test of organisational strength for all major political parties.

Naik’s experience adds to a growing list of complaints from voters and political leaders about discrepancies in electoral rolls and confusion over polling booths during the civic elections. Several opposition leaders have also flagged missing names and last-minute changes in polling locations, raising questions over voter facilitation and election-day preparedness.

Election officials, however, have maintained that mechanisms are in place at polling stations to help voters locate their names and booths, and have urged people to seek assistance from booth-level officers in case of discrepancies.

As polling continued through the day, the episode involving a serving cabinet minister underscored the logistical challenges faced by election authorities — and the potential impact such lapses can have on voter confidence in the electoral process.