Mumbai, Aug 31: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said that denotified and nomadic communities do not need sympathy but their constitutional rights, dignity and justice.

He asserted that the state government is committed to ensuring these communities lead a stable, worry‑free life. He announced that a nationwide movement will be launched by uniting 52 nomadic and denotified tribes.

Speaking at the Shiv Sena Nomadic and Denotified Tribes (DNT) Rights, Justice, and Development Convention 2026, DCM Shinde recalled the historic background of the observance, pointing out that the British regime had unjustly branded these working‑class communities as “born criminals” under the Criminal Tribes Act.

“On August 31, 1952, the community was finally freed from this stigma. Hence, this day marks a historic milestone of freedom, self‑respect and struggle,” he said, adding that the demand was not for favour but for fundamental rights and dignity.

Acknowledging persistent administrative challenges faced by the community regarding basic documentation, such as caste certificates, voter IDs, ration cards and official identity proofs, as well as access to housing, healthcare, education and employment, Shinde pledged the government’s full support to resolve these issues.

He emphasised that the identity of denotified tribes must evolve beyond struggle into fields of education, entrepreneurship, leadership and overall progress, expressing his vision to see youth from these backgrounds become doctors, lawyers, engineers and business leaders.

Highlighting key government initiatives tailored for the youth, Shinde mentioned free competitive exam coaching, educational scholarships, health insurance, financial assistance for self‑employment, skill development programmes and startup support.

He further committed to enhancing the capacity and schemes under the Vasantrao Naik Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes Development Corporation.

To celebrate and preserve the traditional art, handicrafts and cultural heritage of nomadic tribes, Shinde announced that the state will host a large‑scale cultural conclave to provide artists with a prominent platform and financial encouragement. He also lauded the community’s historical contributions to the rural economy.

Invoking B.R. Ambedkar’s message, “Educate, Agitate, Organise”, Shinde urged the 52 communities to maintain unified strength.

“Individual fingers point in different directions, but when clenched into a fist, they create formidable strength,” he said.

Encouraging the youth to become “change‑makers,” Shinde stressed that the goal of the convention was not merely a show of strength but to bring about tangible transformation on the ground.

Reaffirming the continuation of welfare schemes like the Ladki Bahin Yojana, he assured that the development of farmers, workers and underprivileged sections remains the government’s utmost priority.

“Eknath Shinde stands by his word,” he concluded, assuring the gathering of his unwavering support in their battle for rights, respect and advancement.

Mumbai, Aug 31: Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam on Monday clarified that the 2.07 crore electors categorised under “Uncollectable Enumeration Forms” during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 drive are not permanently removed from the rolls.

He said the figure, accounting for 21.15 per cent of Maharashtra’s 9.78 crore electorate, marks exclusion from the draft electoral roll, not immediate deletion.

“I appeal to every voter to check the draft electoral roll. Do not merely look at 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 removal, 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 said.

On categorisation, Chockalingam explained that the 2.07 crore uncollected forms include 75.52 lakh absent or untraceable voters, 76.80 lakh permanently shifted, 34.81 lakh deceased, 17.63 lakh duplicate entries or voters registered elsewhere, and 2.23 lakh under other reasons.

Draft voter lists are being published on District Collector websites for citizens to verify names, with copies also provided to booth‑level agents of political parties.

Emphasising the multi‑stage nature of the process, he said 100 per cent accuracy is not claimed at this stage. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were expected to visit a voter’s house at least once, and if not found, make up to three visits. Classifications were based on the outcome of these visits.

He explained that “Absent/Untraceable” means a person remains untraceable, with status unknown; they may have shifted or be unavailable. “Permanently Shifted” is categorised only when concrete information confirms relocation. “Deceased” is based on official records, death certificates or family reports. “Duplicate/Registered Elsewhere” applies when a voter’s name is already registered in another constituency.

Provisional lists are being published, and BLOs have been instructed to verify information and assist eligible voters by collecting Form 6 or Form 8 where needed.

Acknowledging practical challenges, Chockalingam said genuine voters might have been categorised under uncollected forms by mistake. In urban areas, many residents return home only after 7:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. and are unavailable during standard working hours. BLOs cannot work late into the night, especially since many are women, imposing operational limitations.

“This is why I am clarifying that this process has multiple stages, and we do not claim absolute accuracy at this draft phase. The list published on August 31 is only a draft. If anyone notices an error, it can be corrected. This is not the sole responsibility of a few officials; every voter in the constituency must verify and check the draft,” he urged.

A serious case has come to light regarding the recommendations of political leaders for transfers of officers and employees of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. The available list includes the names of 225 officers and employees, along with the names of ministers, MLAs, MPs, deputy mayors and corporators. The detailed list was provided to Right to Information (RTI) activist Anil Gilgali by the city engineer’s office.

A preliminary analysis of the political recommendations related to these 225 officers and employees shows that the names of some political figures keep coming up again and again. Eknath Shinde’s name has come up the most, 10 times. He is followed by Ramdas Athawale (recommended 9 times), while Girish Mahajan and Kalidas Kolambkar are mentioned 7 times. Similarly, the names of Mangesh Kadalkar, Anna Bansode, and Takaram Ket appear 6 times. Marji Patel and Dilip Lande are mentioned five times each. Meanwhile, the names of Narahari Zerowal, Sumit Wankhede, Rahul Shivale, Prakash Sarvo, Indraniil Naik, Santosh Bangar, Ram Kadam, Kisan Kathor, and Bachu Kadu appear 4 times each. Furthermore, the names of Chandrashekhar Bawankole, Hasan Musharraf, Bharat Sheth Gogawale, Uday Samant, Priyanka Phoka, Ravindra Waikar, Prasad Lad, Sunil Prabhu, Mahesh Sawant, and Praveen Drakar are mentioned 3 times each. Finally, Pratap Rao Jadhav, Pankaja Munde, Mangal Prabhat The names of Lodha, Raosaheb Danve, Sanjay Gadi, Rahul Narvekar, Jay Kumar Gaur, and Sana Malik have appeared twice each. Meanwhile, the names of Ravinder Chavan, Chandrakant Patil, and Sanjay Bansode have appeared once each.

Commenting on the list, Right to Information (RTI) activist Anil Gilgali said, “Transfers within the municipal corporation are expected to be made on the basis of administrative necessity, seniority, and transparent criteria. However, a list has surfaced in which the names of 225 officers and employees have been linked to the names of ministers, MLAs, MPs, and public representatives.” Gilgali said the municipal commissioner is expected to take disciplinary action against officials who exert political pressure in the matter as per the existing rules. The list includes officers and employees holding the posts of Assistant Engineer (AE), Sub Engineer (SE), Executive Engineer (EE), and Junior Engineer (JE). The names and related policy recommendations are as follows: They are: Ravinder Ghatge (Santosh Bangar); Sunil Shethe (Prakash Sarvo, Old Phookey); Deepak Nagasuge (Marji Patel); Gajendra Kakar (Mahendra Dalvi); Ravinder Drikkar (Anna Bansude, Prakash Sarvo); Anjali Dhore (Kishor Appa Patil); Sachin Mendhe (Varsha Gaikwad); Prashant Jagtap (Andarnel Naik, Hasan Musharraf); Nilesh Prab (Manisha Chaudhary, Girish Mahajan); Hemant Pant (Parveen Drikkar); Padmakar Chavan (Makrand Patil); Vishal Patil (Anna Bansude); Prakash Shingare (Meghna Bordekar); Sandeep Ghogre (Dr. Pankaj Bhuveer); Narayan Menghare (Santosh Bangar); Sagar Gaikwad (Sanjay Dina Patil); Rajendra Rathod (Shivendraraje Bhosle); Harish Chavan (Anna Bansude); Chetan Patil (Ram Kadam); Venkatesh Ole (Bachu Kiddo); Shubham Chavan (Marji Patel); Neha Nitin Sankhe (Uday Samant); Prasad Dhumle (Ravendra Waikar); Sunil Yamgar (Marji Patel); Prasad Patwardhan (Dhananjay Gadgal); Harshal Pimple (Kishan Kathore); Purnima Bhavir (Kali Das Kolambkar); Santosh Bhadwekar (Praveen Dariker); Vidyasagar Bhamawale (Prasad Lad); Nitin Chaudhary (Rahul Shivale); Jayant Borshe (Prakash Solanke); Sameer Samb (Sanjay Ghadi); Sachin Hanmadhar (Marji Patel); Siddhi Vinayak Khadapkar (Dilip Lande); Yogesh Parthi (Tikram Kate); Rupesh Bhandge (Sanjay Kelkar); Ramesh Sonawane (Ram Kadam); Kishore Khetri (Babasaheb Patel); Mayur Patil (Bharat Sheth Gogawale); Renuka Patil (Indarnel Naik); Vijay Shyamothy (Dilip Lande); Dinesh Nanche (Ramdas Athawale); Chetan Patil (Sanjay Dina Patil); Anoop Thakur (including Wankhede); Mahesh Nandkar (Radha Krishna Vikhe Patil); Sandeep Desai (Sanjay Sarasat); Abhay Sankhe (Chandrasekhar Bawankole); Sachin Dudh Bhate (India Sheth Gogawale); Ravindra Gawade (Kalidas Kolumbakar); Usman Sadiq (Sana Malik); Deepak Chogole (Dilip Lande); Siddharth Aggarwal (Harun Shaikh, Ranjana Patil); Sachin Dur (Suresh Koparkar); Sandeep Salunkhe (Kalidas Kolumbakar); Keshu Owe (Ramdas Athawale); Rahul Nagul (Captain Tamil Selvan); Vikas Sonone (Uday Samant); Vicky Salunkhe (Sanjay Rathore); Sainath Galwad (Dr. Bhagwat Karad, Girish Mahajan, Abu Azmi); Jameer Pathan (Sunil Prabhu); Roshan Jhamse (Eknath Shinde); Akshay Dudhan (Eknath Shinde); Prashant Pathare (Eknath Shinde); Angraj Ganpat (Eknath Shinde); Anand Jadhav (Eknath Shinde); Amit Gahane (Eknath Shinde); Praveen Turkikar (Eknath Shinde); Vivek Patil (Madhuritai Misal); Ravi Gupta (Chandrasekhar Bawankule); Yogesh Kokani (Prakash Sarva); Praveen Maluk (Prakash Sarvo); Madhav Bachwad (Ashok Chavan); Sheetal Kale (Sana Malik); Omkar Mane (Dr. Bhagwat Karad); Shalka Khade (Sanjay Bansode); Bhushan Gawli (Ramdas Athawale); Shahbaz Pirzadeh (Hasan Musharraf); Sandesh Wankhede (Kalidas Kolumbakar); Santosh Ghawre (Eknath Shinde); Sharita Thakur (Kishan Kathoor); Sagar Thet (Ravendra Vaikar); Khabbil Devrokhkar (Ramdas Athawale); Kartik Gandhi (Ram Pandagale, Indranil Naik, Meghna Bordekar); Sachin Sonawane (Manoj Jamsutkar, Manisha Chaudhary); Ramdas Kavdekar (Prasad Lad, Ramrao Vidkote); Walsangikar Abdul Mati.