EC Clarifies Voter Registration Rules After Bawankule Claim

The Election Commission on Monday refuted claims made by BJP leader and Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule during a rally in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, clarifying that voter registration remains an ongoing process and citizens can register even after the draft voters' list is published.

Bawankule had told attendees at the Sunday rally that citizens would lose the opportunity to register as voters for 20 years if they missed the August 17 deadline following the draft roll publication. He further claimed that unregistered individuals would be denied government benefits, including free ration, social welfare schemes, and admissions to schools and colleges.

The minister also stated that because voter IDs were expected to be linked with Aadhaar, citizens whose names did not appear in electoral rolls would be deprived of all welfare schemes, leaving them without access to government support.

Following the widespread sharing of video clips of the speech on social media, the office of the chief electoral officer in Mumbai issued a formal clarification on Monday to correct the claims.

The election authority stated that voters missing from the draft roll and new eligible voters can apply for inclusion using Form 6 between August 17 and September 16, 2026. Citizens can also seek corrections or deletions during this period, while objections can be filed using Form 7.

The official statement noted that the final electoral roll will be published on October 19. Eligible citizens can continue applying for inclusion or correction under the continuous updation process until the last date for filing nominations for any election.