Thane: Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) National General Secretary and Chief Spokesperson Dr Jitendra Awhad has accused the Election Commission of alleged voter list manipulation, claiming that Form 7 applications were submitted without the knowledge or consent of around 280 voters in Mumbra to remove their names from electoral rolls.

Addressing a press conference, Awhad presented evidence of the alleged misuse of Form 7, which is used to seek deletion of names from voter lists. He displayed an application bearing typed voter identification details and a Nagpur postal PIN code, alleging that it indicated an organised attempt to remove eligible voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

Awhad claimed, “Several residents had denied submitting the applications themselves, with multiple members of some families allegedly targeted. He expressed concern that economically weaker and marginalised sections, including Dalits, Muslims, migrants and other disadvantaged citizens, could lose their voting rights.”

He also questioned the functioning of booth-level officers (BLOs), claiming that 69 of the 221 officers appointed in the area had not reported for duty from the first day. Despite complaints to senior officials, the situation had reportedly remained unchanged. He questioned how voter verification could have been conducted without visits to residents’ homes.

Awhad demanded, “Verification of every Form 7 application should be undertaken and an investigation into submissions allegedly made without voters’ consent. He urged the Election Commission to ensure transparency and protect eligible voters.”

He further alleged that an official named Seema Khanna controlled the process from Delhi and that the powers of electoral authorities had been curtailed. Referring to a letter dated October 19, 2024, concerning an alleged server hack, Awhad accused former Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and incumbent Gyanesh Kumar of involvement in the alleged conspiracy.