SIR: 30% of Voters Not Included in Electoral Roll Revision in Muslim-Majority Maharashtra Seats

Nearly 30 per cent of voters across 38 Maharashtra Assembly constituencies,

With a Muslim population of more than 20 per cent have not been carried forward to the draft electoral rolls prepared under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), an analysis of the draft roll data shows.

Of the total electorate in these constituencies, 37.51 lakh voters, or 29.77 per cent, have been classified as “uncollectable”. The corresponding figure for Maharashtra as a whole is 21.14 per cent.

The highest rates were recorded in several densely populated constituencies in Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Bhiwandi East topped the list, with 49.10 per cent of voters not carried forward, followed by Bhiwandi West at 44.72 per cent, Mumbra-Kalwa at 42.91 per cent and Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar at 42.31 per cent.

In Mumbai, Chandivali, where Muslims account for 27.6 per cent of the population, recorded an uncollectable rate of 41.44 per cent. Sion-Koliwada and Pune Cantonment also reported rates above 40 per cent.

The figures do not establish whether individual Muslim voters were excluded. The SIR data is not categorised by religion, and the analysis covers Assembly constituencies where Muslims make up more than 20 per cent of the population.

The data also indicates that a higher Muslim population share does not necessarily correspond to a higher proportion of voters not carried forward.

Malegaon Central, which has the highest Muslim population share among the 38 constituencies at 78.4 per cent, recorded an uncollectable rate of 23.46 per cent. By comparison, Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, where Muslims constitute 53 per cent of the population, recorded a rate of 42.31 per cent. Bhiwandi East, with a Muslim population share of 51 per cent, had the highest rate at 49.10 per cent.

Several constituencies recorded much lower rates. In Malkapur, where Muslims account for 20.4 per cent of the population, 7.68 per cent of voters were marked uncollectable. The rate was 9.91 per cent in Raver, 11.91 per cent in Latur City and 11.71 per cent in Balapur.

Among the voters marked uncollectable, a significant proportion were classified as permanently shifted, untraceable or absent. Across the 38 constituencies, permanently shifted voters accounted for 42.05 per cent of all uncollectable voters, while those marked untraceable or absent accounted for 35.59 per cent. Deceased voters made up 12.76 per cent, while duplicate registrations accounted for 8.33 per cent.

“The SIR exercise has prompted heightened awareness among people in Muslim-dominated localities. Over the past few months, several community groups and local organisations have stepped in to help people understand the documentation requirements and get their records in order,” community activist Irfan Aqeel said.

He said the draft rolls could encourage more people to regularise their records during the claims process.

“Hopefully, those whose names have not been carried forward will also be encouraged to get their documentation in order during the claims stage. Community groups are working towards this,” he said.

Using the 29.77 per cent combined exclusion rate across the 38 Muslim-heavy constituencies as a benchmark, 53 Assembly constituencies across Maharashtra recorded exclusion rates at or above that level. These included Colaba at 46.92 per cent, Khadakwasala at 46.53 per cent, Nalasopara at 46.35 per cent, Kothrud at 46.17 per cent and Kalyan Rural at 46.05 per cent.

The comparison with reserved constituencies presents a different picture. The 29 SC-reserved seats had a combined exclusion rate of 19.61 per cent, below both the 29.77 per cent rate recorded in Muslim-heavy constituencies and the statewide figure of 21.14 per cent. Only six SC-reserved seats crossed the 29.77 per cent benchmark, led by Ambarnath at 44.17 per cent and Pimpri at 41.22 per cent, while the remaining 23 recorded lower rates.

The 25 ST-reserved constituencies recorded an even lower combined exclusion rate of 13.21 per cent. Only Boisar crossed the 29.77 per cent benchmark, recording a rate of 34.35 per cent.

Muslim Population Share vs. SIR 2026 Exclusion (Sorted by Muslim %)

Constituency	Muslim population	SIR exclusion rate
Bhiwandi East	51.0%	49.10%
Bhiwandi West	49.5%	44.72%
Mumbra Kalwa	43.7%	42.91%
Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar	53.0%	42.31%
Chandivali	27.6%	41.44%
Sion Koliwada	21.1%	40.73%
Pune Cantonment	20.7%	40.36%
Malad West	27.7%	38.57%
Mumbadevi	50.9%	38.52%
Versova	33.5%	38.46%
Nagpur Central	22.1%	38.01%
Vandre West	25.3%	37.92%
Kurla	30.7%	36.37%
Andheri West	27.1%	36.37%
Anushakti Nagar	28.8%	36.14%
Byculla	41.5%	34.88%
Kalina	24.4%	34.80%
Dharavi	33.4%	34.55%
Vandre East	33.1%	34.44%
Solapur Central	24.8%	32.59%
Aurangabad Central	38.5%	31.34%
Akola West	41.6%	28.46%
Dhule	21.7%	27.88%
Jalna	20.0%	27.70%
Aurangabad West	37.5%	26.62%
Nanded North	23.5%	26.50%
Malegaon Central	78.4%	23.46%
Nanded South	23.5%	21.06%
Amravati	46.5%	20.19%
Beed	20.0%	19.50%
Parbhani	25.2%	18.29%
Washim	20.5%	16.46%
Akot	26.2%	13.51%
Karanja	20.8%	13.13%
Latur City	20.4%	11.91%
Balapur	23.8%	11.71%
Raver	20.6%	9.91%
Malkapur	20.4%	7.68%
Overall	—	29.77%

EXCLUSION

* / Muslim-heavy: 29.77%

SC RESERVED: 19.61%
ST RESERVED: 13.21%

Data source: CENSUS 2011 Maha SEC data