BMC Elections 2026: Over 11 Lakh Voter Entries Checked, 1.68 Lakh Found Duplicate

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has finished checking 11,01,505 voter records flagged as possible duplicates across Mumbai. The scrutiny revealed that nearly 1.68 lakh entries, accounting for about 15 percent, were genuine duplicate registrations either within the same ward or across different wards. Among these voters, 24,721 individuals have already submitted Form ‘A’, clearly stating the ward where they wish to retain their voter registration. Civic officials confirmed that the verification of the remaining duplicate records will be completed by December 27, ensuring that every eligible voter’s name appears in only one ward’s electoral roll.

As preparations begin for the BMC elections scheduled in 2026, the civic body launched a large-scale drive to identify and eliminate duplicate voter entries. Using a combination of door-to-door field visits and a dedicated software-based verification system, officials confirmed 1,68,357 entries as actual duplicates. This exercise aims to maintain transparency and accuracy in the voter list ahead of the crucial civic polls. Authorities said the process is being closely monitored to prevent errors and ensure that legitimate voters are not removed or wrongly affected during the verification exercise.

So far, civic teams have visited around 53,800 households across Mumbai over the past few days to verify duplicate voter registrations. During this process, officials found that nearly 89,000 voters were registered more than once within the same ward, while close to 79,000 voters had their names listed in different wards. The large-scale outreach highlights the complexity of maintaining updated electoral rolls in a city with a highly mobile population. Officials noted that personal verification has played a key role in accurately identifying genuine duplicates.

A senior civic official stated that approximately 57 percent of the total duplicate voter cases have already been verified. The remaining cases are expected to be completed within the next few days, after which the final and corrected voter list will be shared with political parties. Ward-wise analysis shows that L Ward in Kurla recorded the highest number of duplicate entries at 16,532, followed by K West in Andheri West with 12,010 cases, and R South in Kandivali with 11,618 duplicate voter registrations.

Officials explained that voters identified as duplicates have been marked with a double star in the electoral rolls and instructed to indicate the polling booth where they intend to vote. In cases where voters could not be contacted during field verification, they will be required to submit an affidavit at the polling station. This affidavit will declare that they have not voted at any other polling booth. The measure is intended to prevent multiple voting while safeguarding the voting rights of genuine electors.

Meanwhile, the civic administration clarified that home voting will not be available for senior citizens and persons with disabilities during the BMC elections. Unlike Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, the State Election Commission rules do not allow postal or home-based voting for civic body elections. Consequently, all voters must visit their assigned polling stations. However, around 63,000 BMC and government employees, along with police personnel on election duty, will be permitted to vote through postal ballots.