More than 1.52 lakh new voters have been registered in eight out of the total 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, in the latest round of electoral roll revision conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The special drive resulted in 82,658 new female voters being registered, exceeding the number of new male voters which stood at 69,652. However, the total number of female voters across these eight constituencies is still less than the count of male voters. There are 53,99,057 female voters as against 77,21,374 male voters. The second phase of elections in these constituencies will take place on May 7. The addition of voters during the special drive increased the electorate by 1,52,330, bringing the total number of voters in these seats to 1,49,25,912.

Previously, the ECI used to close its voter registration in January, before the actual campaign commenced. With the new provision to allow registration of voters beyond January 25, candidates and their teams made extra efforts to complete the registration process of potential voters who are usually averse to visiting government offices for registration. This move turned out to be a win-win situation for both voters and candidates, as candidates can take credit for helping potential voters get enrolled and in return expect their vote. The official from the chief electoral office further added that this action not only increases voter enrollment but also aids in de-cluttering the voters’ list and contacting potential voters.