Chennai, Dec 27: In an effort to ensure maximum inclusion in the electoral process, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced a series of special voter registration camps across Tamil Nadu to enable eligible citizens to enrol in the electoral rolls or correct their details.

The announcement follows the publication of the draft electoral roll for the state on December 19, after the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

According to the Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Archana Patnaik, more than 97 lakh names were removed from the draft voter list during the revision exercise. Of these, around 66 lakh voters were identified as having shifted their place of residence. The remaining deletions were due to reasons such as duplication, death, or ineligibility.

Voters whose names were removed have been given a one-month window to re-enrol, with January 18 set as the final date for submitting applications.

In response to the large number of omissions and to ensure no eligible voter is left out, the Election Commission has announced a four-day special voter registration drive across the state.

The first phase of the special camp is being held on Saturday and Sunday, followed by another round on January 3 and January 4. These camps will be conducted at all polling stations across Tamil Nadu, covering approximately 75,000 booths.

During these special camps, eligible citizens can apply for inclusion of their names in the electoral roll by submitting Form 6. They can also apply for corrections in personal details or for the transposition of their names if they have shifted their residence within the constituency.

According to officials, 1,68,825 applications have already been received for inclusion of new voters since the publication of the draft roll. The Chief Electoral Officer has urged all eligible citizens, particularly those whose names were excluded from the draft list, to make full use of this opportunity. She emphasised that accurate and updated electoral rolls are crucial for ensuring free, fair, and inclusive elections.

Election officials will be present at all polling stations during the special camp days to assist applicants, verify documents, and facilitate the smooth processing of forms.

Citizens have also been encouraged to verify their details through the online voter portal and take corrective action before the final electoral roll is published.

Mumbai: The Gawli family returned to Mumbai’s civic political arena on Friday as sisters Geeta Gawli and Yogita Gawli-Waghmare, daughters of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli, filed their nomination papers for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections from the Byculla constituency.

Geeta Gawli, a former corporator, submitted her nomination from Ward No. 212 on the ticket of the Akhil Bharatiya Sena, while her younger sister Yogita Gawli-Waghmare filed her papers from Ward No. 207. With their entry, the total number of candidates who have filed nominations in the first three days of the process has risen to nine.

Geeta Gawli is a familiar face in civic politics, having won the 2017 BMC elections from Ward No. 212. Her return to the fray signals an attempt by the Gawli family to reclaim its influence in Byculla, an area where Arun Gawli once commanded significant political clout. Yogita Gawli-Waghmare, on the other hand, is contesting an election for the first time, marking the next generation’s formal entry into electoral politics.

The Gawli family has a long and complex political history in central Mumbai. Their aunt, Vandana Gawli, had won from Ward No. 207 in the 2012 civic polls but lost the seat in 2017. Vandana later joined the Shiv Sena’s Shinde faction earlier this year, adding a new political dimension to the family’s electoral legacy.

The nomination process for the BMC elections began on December 23. While a large number of nomination papers have been distributed across the city, the filing of nominations has been relatively slow so far. On Friday alone, 2,040 nomination papers were issued across 23 Returning Officer offices, with seven candidates submitting their applications, including the two Gawli sisters.

According to the State Election Commission, the last date for filing nominations is December 30, 2025. With several major parties yet to officially announce their candidates, political observers expect a surge in nominations in the final days.

The entry of the Gawli sisters has added a major political edge to the Byculla contest, which is expected to witness a keenly fought battle in the upcoming BMC elections. The polling for the BMC elections is scheduled to take place on January 15, 2026. The counting of votes will take place on January 16, 2026.

Mumbai: daily commuters bore the brunt of major disruptions on the Western Railway on Saturday morning, December 27, as local train services were hit due to ongoing rail infrastructure work between Kandivali and Borivali. Peak-hour travel turned chaotic, with overcrowded platforms, long waiting times and mounting frustration among office-goers and daily wage earners.

From the early morning hours, a heavy rush was witnessed at several stations along the Western Line. Passengers were seen anxiously waiting on platforms as delayed and cancelled trains threw normal schedules out of gear. Many commuters complained that they were running late for work, examinations and other important commitments.

“We are facing huge problems due to train delays during office hours. It has become very difficult to reach the office on time, Several others echoed similar concerns, saying that irregular train timings and sudden cancellations had left them confused and stranded.

Western Railway has announced the cancellation of 629 suburban services between December 27 and December 29, severely affecting thousands who depend on local trains as their primary mode of transport. On Saturday alone, 296 services were cancelled, forcing passengers to pack into the limited trains that were operational. The situation is expected to remain challenging through the weekend.

Adding to commuters’ woes, some local trains originating from Borivali and Andheri are operating only up to Goregaon, leading to forced transfers and further crowding on connecting routes. With platforms 8 and 9 at Borivali station closed until December 29, passengers have also had to deal with congestion at other platforms.

The disruption is due to the final phase of work on the sixth railway line between Bandra Terminus and Borivali. A 30-day traffic block has been imposed from December 20 to January 18, 2026, with intensive work underway on the Kandivali–Borivali stretch.

On Saturday, a major block between 1 am and 7 am was taken to commission an electronic interlocking panel, affecting both fast and slow services. Long-distance passengers were not spared either, as the schedules of several mail and express trains were revised, and some trains skipped halts at Borivali.