Navi Mumbai, October 25, 2025 – The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has intensified its call for a thorough investigation into alleged irregularities in voter registrations in Navi Mumbai. The party claims to have found a significant number of duplicate and fraudulent entries in the voter rolls and has formally requested police intervention.
A delegation from the MNS met with the Navi Mumbai police commissioner and the returning officer, urging them to launch an immediate inquiry into the matter. According to a party leader, the MNS submitted a memorandum to the Belapur returning officer on Friday, alleging the existence of approximately 15,000 duplicate and 18,000 fake voter entries within the constituency.
MNS leader Gajanan Kale referenced remarks made by BJP MLA Manda Mhatre, who has also voiced concerns about corruption within the voter registration process. Kale argued that Mhatre's accusations provide a crucial lead for the police. He insisted that the police should obtain evidence from Mhatre, identify the corrupt officials involved, file criminal cases against them, and make the necessary arrests. Kale stated, "If officials are being bribed, it is not just corruption but a direct assault on democracy".
The MNS is not the only party raising concerns. Belapur BJP MLA Manda Mhatre has alleged that election officials are accepting bribes to add bogus names to the rolls. The Congress party has also submitted a complaint to the Thane district collector, reporting over 76,000 duplicate names in the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) rolls, with 41,556 in Airoli and nearly 35,000 in Belapur. Congress spokesperson Ravindra Sawant alleged a "deliberate conspiracy to retain dominance," claiming names were repeated across constituencies and even within polling booths. Mhatre claimed that bogus voters were mobilised from villages on polling day, stating, "They come in the morning, vote and leave". She also stated that she had submitted the duplicate and bogus names in 2019 and 2014, and repeatedly approached election officers but nothing was ever done.
These allegations come ahead of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) elections, adding urgency to the demands for a clean and accurate voter list. The opposition is preparing for a statewide protest march to the Election Commission office in Mumbai on November 1, demanding a clean-up of the voter rolls before the civic elections.
The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has maintained that electoral rolls cannot be tampered with by political parties and that corrections and updates are being managed securely. Chief electoral officer S Chockalingam said that objections must be filed through Form 7, after which the Electoral Registration Officer is required to act as per procedure. The Thane Collector's office has directed electoral officers in Airoli and Belapur to carry out verification and remove duplicates if found.
Amid the escalating protests against alleged irregularities in the electoral roll, critics have pointed out that the issue should have been raised much earlier. Officials stated that the opposition should have acted on its suspicion of duplicate voters immediately after the assembly poll results in November 2024.
