Maharashtra voter registration and electoral-roll correction will remain open until October 26 after the Election Commission of India extended the deadline for filing claims and objections under the state’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The extension comes as 2.83 lakh people submitted Form 6 applications in nine days, taking the total number of new-voter applications filed between August 31 and October 11 to 8.33 lakh.
The revised deadline applies to claims and objections against Maharashtra’s draft electoral roll. The original deadline was October 12. Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam said the extension was limited to filing claims and objections, while the rest of the schedule would continue under the revised timetable.
Under the new schedule, election officials will continue issuing notices and disposing of claims and objections until November 10. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on November 16.
The extension followed a request from the state chief electoral officer in a letter dated October 7. The ECI invoked the proviso to Rule 12 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, to extend the claims-and-objections period.
Pune recorded the highest number of Form 6 submissions in the state until October 11, with 68,764 applications. Thane followed with 58,143 applications, while Mumbai Suburban recorded 48,861. Form 6 is used by eligible citizens to apply for inclusion in the electoral roll, including people registering as new voters.
The recent submissions have significantly increased the number of applications received during the SIR exercise. Until October 2, 5.5 lakh people, including new voters and existing voters whose names were missing from the draft roll, had submitted Form 6. The additional 2.83 lakh applications were filed during the following nine days.
The SIR exercise was announced by the ECI on May 14 across 19 states and Union Territories, including Maharashtra. The state published its draft electoral roll on August 31 and flagged 1.22 crore electors under categories including unmapped voters and logical discrepancies. Notices were issued to people identified through the exercise, allowing them to respond through the claims-and-objections process.
The data also shows continued activity involving deletions and corrections. By October 11, officials had received 25,661 Form 7 applications seeking deletion of names or raising objections. That figure was equivalent to about 0.03% of the electorate. Thane recorded the highest number of Form 7 applications, at 2,173.
Form 8 applications, used for corrections or shifting registration across Assembly constituencies, were highest in Mumbai Suburban, which recorded 43,535 applications. Thane received 29,977 such applications, followed by Pune with 27,592.
The extended window gives applicants additional time to submit claims, objections, corrections and requests for inclusion before officials complete the disposal process. The revised schedule requires the election machinery to complete this work by November 10, ahead of publication of Maharashtra’s final electoral roll on November 16.
