In this letter dated August 14, 2026, it has been alleged that some Booth Level Agents (BLAs) have committed major irregularities during the form distribution and verification campaign.
According to Patel, about 39 per cent of the total voters in the assembly constituency (i.e. 95,538 people out of 2,41,959) have been put in the category of 'permanently shifted' or 'dead' in the Election Commission records without proper field verification.
He said such irregularities are a matter of serious concern, especially when the objective of the SIR process is to ensure that all eligible and genuine voters are included in the voter list.
Patel cited non-submission of forms at 37.8 per cent in Mumbai city and 34.4 per cent in Mumbai suburbs, as well as the forms that needed improvement.
He said that this is a matter of serious concern and requires immediate intervention by the Election Commission of India (ECI). There are fears that names of about 1.8 crore voters in Maharashtra may be removed from the voter list and the ECI should extend the deadline for the SIR process.
Patel stressed that non-proper distribution of SIR forms and prematurely declaring legitimate residents as displaced could lead to disenfranchisement of a large number of genuine voters.
They sought an immediate review of those BLAs that did not distribute SIR forms or declared voters as 'permanently displaced' without verification, along with clear instructions to ensure that every eligible voter receives the SIR form, and extension of the SIR deadline beyond August 17, 2026, to allow adequate time for distribution, collection, verification and digitization.
Urging immediate intervention, Patel said the extension of the deadline and a thorough review are necessary to maintain a fair and transparent voter list and protect constitutional voting rights.