District administration to detect duplication of names in voters list

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The issue of duplicate (double-name) voter registrations in the district has drawn objections, prompting the State Election Commission (SEC) to direct the district administration to conduct a thorough inquiry. Following these complaints, the administration has gone on alert mode. Officials have been instructed to carry out a preliminary investigation into the duplicate names and to verify whether the double (repeated) entries belong to the same individual.

If it is confirmed that one voter’s name appears in more than one prabhag, district collector Deelip Swami has ordered that the list of such voters be displayed on notice boards and displayed on the official website. The directives were issued during a review meeting held on Monday.

In the backdrop of upcoming local body elections, objections have been raised regarding the voter lists finalised by the Election Commission on July 1, 2025 with the most common complaint being the presence of duplicate names. The review meeting was held at the district collector’s office to address these issues.

Additional district collector Sambhajirao Adkune, resident deputy collector Janardan Vidhate, deputy collectors Sangita Rathod, Dr. Suchita Shinde, Eknath Bangale, district supply officer Pravin Phulari, and all SDOs, tehsildars, and chief officers of various municipal councils in the district attended the meeting online.

Only verified voters to be allowed to vote

Voters whose names appear twice in the list will be asked to submit a written application specifying the prabhag in which they wish to cast their vote. Those who respond will be included accordingly in the final voter list and the booth-wise register.

If voters fail to respond, the term “duplicate name” will be marked against their entries in the voter list. Should such individuals arrive at a polling station to vote, the presiding officer will verify their identity using valid ID proof and allow voting only after confirming authenticity.

The district collector Deelip Swami said, “Each voter list must be verified booth-wise to ensure there are no errors. Handle every complaint regarding voter lists carefully and resolve them promptly. Clarify the doubts raised by complainants and make fair decisions on all objections related to the voter lists.”