Mumbai, Sep 9: Congress MLA Amin Patel wrote to Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Chockalingam, raising serious concerns over the large-scale deletion of voters from electoral rolls in the Mumbadevi Assembly constituency following the recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive.

In a letter to the CEO, Patel highlighted that nearly 95,732 voters have been deleted from the draft electoral roll published on August 31, 2026. While official grounds cite absent, shifted, duplicate, or deceased voters (ASDD), Patel alleged that poor outreach and lack of proper communication by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were significant contributing factors.

“As of September 8, 2026, not a single Form No 6 (used for re-enrollment and new registrations) had been accepted by BLOs in the region. No official notices were served to voters facing electoral roll anomalies or unmapped status to appear for hearings. Citizens attempting to contact assigned BLOs faced unanswered calls or switched-off phones, causing unnecessary distress to residents trying to rectify their voter status. With the upcoming Ganeshotsav festival season, BLOs are expected to be occupied with festival-related duties, creating a high likelihood that citizens will miss the current submission deadlines,” said Patel.

To ensure no eligible voter is disenfranchised, Patel requested an urgent deadline extension within legal parameters. He has demanded that for submission of Form 6 (Re-enrollment & New Registration), the time period be extended from September 30, 2026, to October 31, 2026 and for Anomaly & Unmapped Voter Hearings from October 29, 2026, to November 30, 2026.

Patel urged the Chief Electoral Officer to sympathetically consider the gravity of the situation and take immediate corrective measures.

Patel’s request comes after the exclusion of 2.07 crore voters in the draft voter list released on August 31. Of the final categorisation of the 2.07 crore uncollected Enumeration Forms (EFs), they include 75.52 lakh: Absent or untraceable voters, 76.80 lakh: Permanently shifted voters, 34.81 lakh: Deceased voters, 17.63 lakh: Duplicate entries or voters already registered elsewhere and 2.23 lakh: Other reasons.

Chockalingam said that 2.07 crore being in the “Uncollectable Enumeration Forms (accounting for 21.15% of Maharashtra’s 9.78 crore electorates) does not mean permanent removal immediately; it marks exclusion from the Draft Electoral Roll during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 drive in Maharashtra which began on July 1. “I appeal to every voter to check the draft electoral roll,” said Chockalingam.

“Do not merely look at the statewide figures. Check whether your own name is on the list and whether your details are correct. If your name is missing, apply for inclusion. If there is an error, request a correction. If there is an issue regarding the removal of a name, you can submit Form 6 to apply for re-inclusion. The draft list is not the final list; a complete process of claims and objections will take place before the final voter list is released,” he added.

Mumbai, Sep 9: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led high-level committee on Wednesday decided to advance the upcoming sugarcane crushing season for 2026-27 to October 15.

The state government’s decision comes when soaring sugar prices during the festive season have strained household budgets across Maharashtra.

The state government hopes the commencement of sugarcane crushing season from October 15 instead of November 1 demanded by sugar factories will stabilise the market and ensure an adequate supply of sugar.

This marks an earlier rollout compared to previous operational years, following seasons that started on November 1, 2025, and November 15, 2024, respectively.

The meeting was attended by Co-operation Minister Babasaheb Patil, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, former Minister Dilip Walse Patil, along with legislators and representatives from factory associations.

The move comes as retail sugar prices jumped to Rs 70–75 per kg in August due to a domestic supply crunch caused by lower production last season.

Normally, the crushing season commences in November.

However, with major festivals like Navratri, Dussehra, and Diwali approaching—and following advisories from the Central government to top-producing states — the Maharashtra administration decided to begin operations nearly a month early to prevent further price spikes.

The proposed October 15 start date has, however, met with opposition from sugar mill owners and farmers.

Industry representatives said that starting the crushing process before November is financially disadvantageous for both factories and growers due to lower sugarcane maturity and sugar recovery rates at that time of the year.

Despite the pushback from millers, the state government remains focused on controlling inflation and stabilising supply before the peak festive period.

Maharashtra Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil said, “The decision to advance the sugarcane crushing season from October 15 was taken in the wake of festive season and also to avoid damage to the standing sugarcane.”

According to crop estimations prepared by the Agriculture Department and MITCON, the state expects sugarcane cultivation across 15.43 to 15.48 lakh hectares.

Total cane production is projected to reach 1,238 to 1,250 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), yielding an estimated 990 to 1,000 LMT of cane for crushing.

Net sugar production is anticipated to hover between 96.45 and 97.58 LMT at a net recovery rate of 9.75 per cent, after diverting nearly 15 LMT of sugar equivalent toward ethanol production.

Reviewing the performance of the preceding 2025–26 crushing season (as of August 31, 2026), official records revealed that 210 sugar mills (102 cooperative and 108 private) processed 1,045 LMT of sugarcane.

Minister Patil said that the arrears payable by the sugar mills towards Fair and Remunerative Price are of the order of Rs 200 crore.

He added that the state government is taking action against such mills for clearing the dues.

He told that these mills won’t be entitled to get crushing license for the upcoming season.

Pune, Sept 9: A youth preparing for Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) examination allegedly died by suicide in Pune, allegedly due to recurring incidents of paper leak and financial distress. The deceased has been identified as Prathamesh Deshmukh. Police suspect that severe financial difficulties, including an unpaid debt of Rs 2.5 lakh, led him to take this extreme step.

The tragic incident has sparked outrage among exam aspirants in the state. Pune, widely regarded as the educational hub of Maharashtra, has recently come under intense scrutiny over repeated paper leak scandals, including connections to NEET, CET, and the latest drug inspector examination leaks.

In the wake of the incident, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Harshvardhan Sapkal and Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Dipke launched a scathing attack on the state government. Demanding the immediate resignation of the MPSC Chairman and Secretary, Sapkal accused the state government of evading responsibility.

“The government is acting deaf and blind. A student from Dharashiv ended his life—this is a victim of government apathy,” Sapkal said.

“If the Chairman does not resign, it implies that he is a close ally of the Chief Minister and was appointed specifically to facilitate paper leaks,” he added.

Expressing grief over Prathamesh’s demise, CJP chief Abhijit Dipke appealed to competitive exam aspirants across the state to refrain from taking extreme measures. Highlighting the plight of rural students who migrate to Pune for exam preparation, Dipke stated that while the government may not value their lives, their families depend on them.

Deshmukh’s suicide comes after the MPSC aspirants held protests in Pune on Monday and in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Tuesday demanding the resignation of MPSC Chairman and concerned officials for paper leaks.

Highlighting recent revelations surrounding the MPSC Excise (Departmental) Examination, the protestors alleged direct institutional complicity in administrative malpractices, pointing to reports implicating a high-ranking joint secretary-level officer in leaking exam marking patterns. They demanded an immediate removal and replacement of the current MPSC Chairman and Secretary and press for their replacement with officers of unblemished integrity, comprehensive criminal investigations and strict legal proceedings against all officials and middlemen implicated in scam allegations and pattern leaks and complete structural reform and cleansing of the MPSC examination and recruitment frameworks.

NCP SP MLA Rohit Pawar, who has been actively supporting the MPSC aspirants’ demand said, “It is deeply shocking that while students dedicate 20 hours a day to rigorous preparation, officials within the commission are allegedly selling exam materials. This injustice against hardworking candidates will not be tolerated. This march is not political; it is a fight for the future of our youth.”

Dismissing allegations that opposition parties are politicising the issue, Rohit Pawar emphasised that the protest represents genuine public outrage.

“Are the demands of students seeking fair opportunities political? These candidates have assembled on their own accord to protect their rights. People paying 50 to 60 lakh rupees to secure posts through corruption will not be accepted by these students or by the state of Maharashtra,” he asked.