Inflated voter list? 4 mn 'mystery voters' show up on Maharashtra electoral rolls

MUMBAI: Even as the uproar over EVMs by the opposition continues, data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) reveals that at least 4 million voters on the electoral rolls, frozen ahead of the recent assembly elections, are excessive.

- Surendra P Gangan

An inflated voter list automatically has the effect of lowering overall voter turnout, leaving room for manipulation, EC officials pointed out.

Maharashtra has an estimated population of 127 million, with an estimated 94.9 million of these over the age of 18. Maharashtra's adult population is estimated to be 74.44% of the total population. Of these, about 4.3 million youngsters would have been first-time voters. Only 2.22 million of these, however, have registered as voters, which means that about 2 million first-time voters are still out of the electoral rolls at the time of the recent polls.