NAVI MUMBAI: Maharashtra forest minister Ganesh Naik on Thursday faced an unexpected hurdle while casting his vote in the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) elections after he found his name missing from the voters’ list at his usual polling station in Vashi, forcing him to move between polling centres for nearly an hour.
Naik first arrived at NMMC CBSE School No. 94, where he said he had voted earlier, but was redirected to St Mary’s High School. At St Mary’s, election officials initially told him the designated room number did not exist and his name could not be traced in the electoral roll.
“R F Naik school is where we have always voted. Last time I was asked to vote at NMMC CBSE School 94. This time, when we came to NMMC school, we were asked to vote at St Mary’s school. When we went there, there was no room number nine. We came back to the CBSE school, but our names were not there either. We then returned to St Mary’s, where room number nine was finally opened and we were able to vote,” Naik told reporters.
Calling the lapse “serious”, Naik questioned the voter list revision process. “I am a local MLA and a minister. If we are facing this kind of confusion, one can imagine what common people must be going through. The Election Commission needs to look into this,” he said.
He also flagged administrative inconsistencies, claiming members of his family living in the same building at Balaji Garden society had been allotted polling stations at three different locations. Naik further alleged that ward boundaries in Navi Mumbai were “drawn wrongly” and said those responsible for errors in the electoral process should be investigated.
“There is confusion, and that will affect voters. But people must still find their booth and vote, and not fall for any pressure tactics,” he added.
Following intervention by officials from the State Election Commission, Naik’s name was eventually traced, allowing him to cast his vote later.