Pune Election Officials File Complaint Over Unauthorised Voter Shifting

Pune Voter Transfer Complaint

Election authorities in Pune have filed a police complaint after forty voters were secretly moved out of the Bhosari assembly constituency without their permission. The online Form 8 applications for these transfers were submitted in October 2024 using just four mobile numbers. Police registered a non-cognisable offence against unidentified persons under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. All forty voters have since been put back onto the correct electoral roll.

Broader Allegations

This police action comes after a November 2025 complaint by NCP (SP) leader Ajit Gavhane. He claimed that roughly 15,000 voters were illegally deleted or shifted from Bhosari. Gavhane stated that many voters only found out about these changes when they arrived at polling booths during the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. He also alleged that most of the affected people were Muslims and called for a deep investigation into the matter. His associate Sarang Kamtekar criticised the police for registering only a non-cognisable offence and demanded a proper FIR and a larger probe.

Context

Online voter portal applications allow citizens to update their constituency details from anywhere, but this system can be misused if bad actors obtain personal identification details. Election commission rolls are updated constantly to ensure every eligible citizen can cast their vote without facing sudden administrative hurdles. Similar complaints about electoral roll discrepancies often surface during or after major state elections across the country.