The University of Mumbai (MU) is starting afresh with its voter registration process for the senate election, discarding the previous electoral record. This decision comes after the Bombay High Court set a deadline for the election process to resume on October 25.
The senate, MU's primary governing body, has been operating without a formal senate since September 2022. This was when the last senat's tenure ended. The panel is responsible for approving the university's annual budget and strategic plan.
In response to complaints about irregularities in the voter registration process, MU established a three-member inquiry committee in August. The complaints were lodged by BJP MLA Ashish Shelar and Vidyapeeth Vikas Manch (VVM), a group from the BJP-affiliated organisation Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
Shelar alleged that the voter list of 94,162 names had more than 755 instances of duplication or triplication of names. He also claimed that names were added and withdrawn from the final list in an unusual manner.
The inquiry committee found 756 names that appeared to be repeated on the list. However, upon further investigation, these were found to be different individuals. The university revised its scrutiny process for voter applications and adjusted the electoral roll to 90,224 entries.
The committee also found that the university required applicants' Aadhar and photo, which is against the Maharashtra Public Universities Act of 2016 common statutes (by-laws). According to this law, applicants are only required to provide a diploma and proof of address.
The inquiry committee then recommended a complete overhaul of the voter registration procedure. Student leaders have criticised MU's decision, accusing the university of succumbing to political pressure to further delay an already overdue election.
MU will now accept new registrations from October 30 to November 30. The dates for the remaining elections have not been announced.
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