Maharashtra weighs electoral deadline extension amid rural migration concerns

PUNE — The Maharashtra state government is considering discussing with election authorities whether to seek an extension of the October 26 deadline for filing claims and objections under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), amid concerns over drought-related challenges and rural migration.

Senior revenue officials said that farmers and rural households grappling with water scarcity, agricultural losses, and employment searches may find it difficult to approach booth-level officers and submit applications on time. The Special Intensive Revision schedule has already undergone multiple modifications. The house-to-house enumeration exercise began on June 30 and concluded on August 8 after an initial extension due to heavy rain and the Ashadhi wari. Consequently, the draft electoral roll publication was moved to August 31, while the claims-and-objections window was extended from September 30 to October 12, and later pushed to October 26 by the Election Commission of India.

Election officials noted that any further timeline extension requires a formal request from the state government to the Election Commission of India, and no final decision has been announced.

The ongoing electoral revision has seen approximately 17.73 lakh applications received under Forms 6, 7, and 8, which are currently under administrative processing. Form 6 handles new inclusions in the electoral roll, Form 7 manages objections and deletions, and Form 8 covers requests for details correction and residency changes.

While state deliberations continue, the process of issuing notices and disposing of claims and objections is scheduled to proceed until November 10. The publication of the final electoral roll is currently slated for November 16.