Waco Welfare Association alleges mass rejection of voter applications in Wagholi by Shirur officials. They demand local verification or digital options, claiming voters are being unfairly denied their constitutional rights.
Wagholi, Pune | July 2, 2025: While the government continues to run awareness campaigns encouraging citizens to vote, a serious allegation has emerged from Wagholi. The Waco Welfare Association has claimed that the Shirur Election Division is systematically rejecting voter ID applications from hundreds of residents in Wagholi, effectively denying them their democratic right to vote.
At a recent press conference, Waco President Anil Kumar Mishra explained that for the past several months, residents have been submitting Form 6 for new registrations and Form 8 for corrections. However, without valid reasons, these applications are being sent to the Shirur Tehsil Office for physical verification. Since Shirur is nearly 50 kilometers from Wagholi, many people—especially senior citizens, women, and the working class—are unable to travel that far. As a result, their applications are being rejected outright.
Mishra pointed out that despite Wagholi residents regularly paying all government taxes, fees, and cesses over the past 15 years, the area still suffers from inadequate civic amenities. Many people have migrated here from other parts of Maharashtra and India, hoping for better lives. Denying them the right to vote simply because of a flawed verification process is, according to Waco, a violation of their fundamental rights.
He added that the job of election officers is to ensure that every eligible citizen is able to vote—not to create unnecessary hurdles. Instead of arranging verification locally in Wagholi, forcing people to travel 50 kilometers amounts to exclusion and negligence.
Waco Welfare Association is demanding that local verification facilities be set up in Wagholi immediately. They have also urged authorities to consider digital verification methods like video calls. Rejected applications should be reviewed fairly, and corrective steps must be taken.
The association warned that if no action is taken within a week, they will approach the District Collector and the District Election Department. If needed, they will also organize peaceful and lawful protests to demand voting rights for Wagholi citizens.
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