Maharashtra Cong seeks 15-day extension from SEC to address draft voters' list issues

Mumbai, Nov 25 (PTI) Alleging irregularities in the draft voters' list, the Congress on Tuesday demanded that the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) extend the deadline to submit objections and suggestions by 15 days.

In a letter to the SEC, signed by state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal, leaders Vijay Wadettiwar and Satej Patil, the party said the draft voters list was published on November 20. The SEC also gave a deadline till November 27 to submit objections and suggestions.

"Many voters are not in the draft list of wards they reside in and the situation is different in all municipal corporations of the state. This is a large number," the letter said.

Even the process of taking objections in the electoral rolls is very complicated and every person who has an issue with the voters' list has to make an application about their grievance, it said.

The letter further said the party needs time to scan the draft voters' list in all municipal corporations in the state which are likely to go to polls early next year.

"It is necessary to take cognisance of the objections raised by people and political parties. So the time given to submit objections and suggestions should be extended by 15 days," the letter added.

Incidentally, the letter has no signatures of any other leader from the Congress or the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, which comprises the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP).

On Monday, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leaders, led by former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray, met SEC Commissioner Deepak Waghmare with a similar request but demanded that the time to raise suggestions and objections be extended by 21 days. PTI PR GK