Opposition Alleges Voter Officers Operating From Party Offices In Maharashtra
A major political row has erupted across Nanded, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Kalyan-Dombivli in Maharashtra, after opposition parties alleged that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are operating from political party offices instead of conducting mandatory door-to-door verification. The dispute has emerged during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which began on June 30 and is scheduled to conclude on August 8.
Opposition leaders have accused the ruling alliance of influencing the voter verification exercise. They argue that the practice violates Election Commission guidelines, which require BLOs to visit households directly to verify voters' nationality.
In Nanded, Youth Congress chief Balaji Gade-Patil alleged that BJP-run camps were functioning at tehsil and urban centres, with voters being asked to visit these locations instead of being verified at home. Gade-Patil claimed this process could lead to the deletion of nearly 10 percent of voters in each assembly constituency. Nirbhay Bano Andolan convener Sandip Baradkar also stated that the camps violate established guidelines.
Former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan rejected the allegations, stating that BLOs continue to conduct door-to-door verification. Chavan said political parties had merely set up facilitation centres to help voters who could not complete the enumeration process during home visits.
In Nashik, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vasant Gite raised the issue with the district collector. Gite alleged that Dalit and Muslim voters were particularly vulnerable to deletion and claimed opposition booth-level agents were being denied adequate access to voter information.
Meanwhile, a similar controversy broke out in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after BLOs were found operating from an AIMIM office. Former MP Imtiaz Jaleel defended the setup, saying political parties had provided office space because officers were finding it difficult to cover every household.
BJP leader and OBC minister Atul Save also defended the exercise, stating that working from fixed locations does not compromise the process. Save noted that electoral roll revisions undergo several levels of scrutiny before any names are deleted.
In Kalyan-Dombivli, the Shiv Sena (UBT) alleged that BLOs were functioning from the offices of BJP corporators and announced a protest against the alleged irregularities.
