40,000–50,000 Illegal Bangladeshis May Be Living in Pune, Claims Kirit Somaiya

Pune, 12th March 2026: BJP leader and former Member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya on Thursday urged the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to verify birth certificates issued in recent years and identify alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators living illegally in the city.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Somaiya said municipal authorities should scrutinise birth certificates issued over the past three years and conduct door-to-door verification to identify people who may have obtained documents fraudulently.

The meeting was attended by Mayor Manjusha Nagpure, Leader of the House Shrinath Bhimale, group leader Ganesh Bidkar, PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, Additional Commissioner Pavneet Kaur and heads of concerned departments.

Somaiya said officials should verify whether individuals claiming to have been born in Pune actually have valid records. If a person cannot produce proof of birth in the city, authorities should gather details about the birthplace of their parents and take appropriate action where necessary.
He further claimed that the government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had cancelled nearly three lakh bogus birth certificates across Maharashtra over the past year.

Somaiya also alleged that there could be at least 50 lakh illegal Bangladeshi voters across Maharashtra. He said a “Special Intensive Revision” of the voter list will begin from April 1.

Citing examples from other states, he claimed that around 64 lakh bogus voters were identified in West Bengal and about 57 lakh in Bihar during similar verification drives. Based on these figures, Somaiya estimated that Maharashtra could have around 50 lakh illegal Bangladeshi voters, including around 40,000 to 50,000 such individuals allegedly residing in Pune.

He added that the state government has also framed a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to deal with alleged infiltration by Rohingya Muslims. According to Somaiya, the Labour Department has issued directions to relevant authorities, and a combing operation may be undertaken after the conclusion of the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly session.