Nearly 30 per cent of voters in 38 Maharashtra Assembly constituencies, where Muslims account for more than one-fifth of the population, have not been carried forward to the draft electoral rolls prepared as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), according to an analysis of the draft roll data.

Of the total electorate in these 38 constituencies, 37.51 lakh voters, or 29.77 per cent, have been marked as “uncollectable”. Across Maharashtra, the corresponding figure is 21.14 per cent.

The highest rates have been recorded in several densely populated constituencies in Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. In Bhiwandi East, 49.10 per cent of voters have not been 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 recorded rates above 40 per cent.

The figures, however, do not indicate whether individual Muslim voters were excluded. The SIR data is not classified by religion and the analysis is based on Assembly constituencies with a Muslim population of more than 20 per cent.

The data also shows that the proportion of voters not carried forward does not necessarily rise with the Muslim population share of a constituency.

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. In comparison, Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, where Muslims account for 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, recorded the highest rate at 49.10 per cent.

Story continues below this ad

Several constituencies recorded considerably 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.

A significant share of the voters marked uncollectable were recorded as having shifted or as untraceable or absent. Across the 38 constituencies, voters recorded as permanently shifted accounted for 42.05 per cent of the uncollectable voters, while those marked untraceable or absent accounted for 35.59 per cent. Deceased voters accounted for 12.76 per cent and duplicate registrations 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,” said community activist Irfan Aqeel.

He said the draft roll could prompt more people to regularise their records. “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.

Story continues below this ad

Using 29.77 per cent  the combined exclusion rate for the 38 Muslim-heavy constituencies as the benchmark, 53 Assembly constituencies across the state recorded exclusion rates at or above this level.  This include Colaba (46.92 per cent), Khadakwasala (46.53 per cent), Nalasopara (46.35 per cent), Kothrud (46.17 per cent) and Kalyan Rural (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 in the Muslim-heavy seats and the statewide figure of 21.14 per cent. Only Six SCseats crossed the 29.77 per cent mark, 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 seats recorded a still lower combined exclusion rate of 13.21 per cent, with only Boisar crossing the 29.77 per cent benchmark, at 34.35 per cent.

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

EXCLUSION

* / Muslim-heavy: 29.77%

SC RESERVED: 19.61%


ST RESERVED: 13.21%

Data source: CENSUS 2011 Maha SEC data