Verification process throws up 16,574 names as repeat voters in Thane, says civic body

Thane, Dec 28 (PTI) The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has completed a comprehensive verification exercise to identify and scrutinise potential repeat voters in the January 15 civic polls, officials said on Sunday.

In a release, the TMC said 83,645 voters flagged as potential repeat voters were examined in detail during the verification of the electoral rolls.

"The scrutiny revealed that the names and photographs of 67,071 voters did not match, confirming they were not repeat voters. In view of the verification findings, the star mark appearing against the names of 67,071 voters will be removed," the release quoted Deputy Commissioner (Elections) Umesh Birari as saying.

This would ensure these voters can exercise their franchise without any inconvenience or restriction on polling day, he added.

"The verification process confirmed 16,574 voters as genuine repeat voters, as their names and photographs were found to be identical in the electoral rolls. The star mark against the names of such voters will be retained. Their names will be clearly stamped as 'repeat voter' in the voter list," Birari informed.

Such voters would be allowed to vote only after submitting a written undertaking in the prescribed format at the polling station, declaring that they are voting at the same location and only once, he said.

"Special attention will be paid to these voters to prevent any possibility of double voting. Polling officials will closely monitor the process. The verification drive was undertaken to uphold transparency in the electoral process, prevent double or bogus voting, and safeguard the rights of genuine voters," the release said.

An accurate and error-free voter list is essential for a healthy democracy, it asserted. PTI COR BNM