Study Claims 70% of Illegal Migrants in Mumbai Possess Voter IDs
Study claims undocumented Bangladeshis threaten city's demographics and polls.
A newly released study has sparked intense debate by alleging a significant influx of undocumented migrants primarily from Bangladesh and Myanmar into Mumbai, claiming that this movement is overwhelming the city's infrastructure while raising serious questions about electoral integrity, national security, and long-term demographic balance in India's financial hub.
Titled 'Illegal Immigration to Mumbai: An Analysis of Socio-Economic and Political Consequences', the research was authored by Professor Medha Tapiawala from the Mumbai School of Economics and Public Policy and Assistant Professor Souvik Mondal from Galgotias University, drawing on an extensive survey of over 3,000 respondents in migrant-dominated neighborhoods conducted between July 2024 and July 2025, complemented by in-depth qualitative interviews, case studies, and focus group discussions to provide a comprehensive assessment.
The study points to notable demographic changes in Mumbai, referencing census data that shows shifts in religious composition over decades, with researchers attributing part of the recent population growth not to natural birth rates but to sustained undocumented migration, predominantly involving Muslim individuals seeking economic opportunities in the informal sector.
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Survey respondents were overwhelmingly male (67 percent), with over 96 percent identifying as Muslim and 41.6 percent illiterate, many entering through unauthorized border crossings or visa overstays before integrating into the informal labor market, forming dense settlements in areas such as Govandi, Kurla, Mankhurd, Cheeta Camp, Versova, and parts of Bandra East, where overcrowding—often three persons per room—exacerbates health risks and contributes to ecological degradation, including the destruction of vital mangrove ecosystems critical for flood protection.
The researchers further highlighted economic drawbacks such as job displacement and wage suppression for low-skilled local workers, outward remittances reducing domestic circulation of earnings, and critical governance issues, including allegations that political patronage across parties has enabled undocumented migrants to acquire forged documents, with a striking claim that 70 percent possess voter IDs ahead of upcoming civic polls, potentially distorting electoral processes and welfare distribution.
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