Pune: Former Corporator Flags Major Errors in PMC Draft Voter List, Warns of Protest

Pune, 28th November 2025: Alleging large-scale discrepancies in the draft electoral roll ahead of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections, former Congress corporator Avinash Bagwe on Wednesday claimed that Ward No. 22 contains thousands of duplicate and incorrect entries. He demanded immediate corrections and warned of a ‘chakka jam’ protest if authorities fail to act.

At a press conference, Bagwe said the preliminary findings indicate a serious lapse in voter registration. “The draft voter list for the upcoming civic polls is full of errors. In Kashewadi Dias Plot alone, the number of voters has shot up to 73,000. During our review, we found cases where the same voter’s name appears four times on a single page,” he alleged.

According to him, over 3,600 duplicate or multiple entries were detected in the ward. He further pointed out that several people are listed with only a single name, while others have identical names, ages and addresses — making accurate identification impossible.

Bagwe claimed more than 10,000 voters could be adversely affected and suggested that the anomalies may not be accidental. “More than 5,000 names have been added from outside the constituency. This appears to be an attempt to influence the outcome in favour of the ruling party,” he said.

The Congress leader also demanded that a special investigation team be set up to probe what he described as deliberate manipulation of voter data. He urged the civic administration to publish the corrected final list at the earliest.

Sharing personal grievances, Bagwe said he had repeatedly filed requests to remove the names of his deceased grandmother and uncle from the electoral roll, yet their names continue to appear even after the recent Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. He further claimed that around 1,200 deceased voters have been identified in the initial scrutiny of Ward No. 22.

Dismissing speculation regarding his political future, Bagwe clarified that he remains committed to the Congress. “There were attempts to sideline me, but I am and will remain in the party. Differences of opinion are part of democracy,” he added.