Muslim voters flagged as ‘dead’ in India
Claims from Ahmedabad constituency raise concerns over misuse of voter deletion rules amid fears of targeted disenfranchisement of Muslim communities
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Muslim voters in western India’s Gujarat state say they are being erased from electoral rolls after being falsely recorded as dead or displaced during an ongoing voter list revision, fuelling concerns about voter suppression in minority-dominated areas ahead of future elections.
The complaints have emerged from the Jamalpur Assembly constituency in Ahmedabad, a densely populated urban seat with a significant Muslim electorate. According to Maktoob Media, residents discovered their names were flagged for deletion under the state’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process despite being alive, residing at the same address, and having submitted the required verification forms.
At the center of the controversy is the alleged misuse of Form 7, a provision meant to remove names from voter rolls due to death, relocation, or duplication. Community leaders say the form has been used to file objections against Muslim voters by unrelated third parties, in some cases from different polling areas altogether.
One such voter, Arab Farid Miyan from Jamalpur’s Ward 19, found that an objection had been filed declaring him dead, even though identification details cited in the objection did not match his voter records. In another case, Rafiq Sheikh Qureshi, an elected municipal councillor from Ward 21, was flagged for deletion on the grounds of an alleged address change.
“We are alive, we voted before, and yet the system is telling us we don’t exist,” Qureshi said. “If this continues, it is not just voter deletion, it is erasure.”
According to Mujahid Nafees, convener of the Minority Coordination Committee, the scale and pattern of objections suggest coordination rather than clerical error. “This is not an administrative mistake. This is a systematic attempt to delete Muslim voters from the electoral roll by falsely declaring them dead or displaced,” he said.
Information shared by booth-level officials indicates that nearly 300 Form 7 objections were received in parts of Jamalpur alone. Activists estimate the total number across the constituency could be far higher, warning that mass deletions could significantly alter electoral outcomes.
The Minority Coordination Committee has submitted a formal complaint to Gujarat’s Chief Electoral Officer, demanding stricter verification of objections, special scrutiny camps, legal action against false objectors, and an inquiry into possible political links. Congress party workers in Ahmedabad have also sought police action against those accused of filing fraudulent objections.
Gujarat is governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has faced sustained criticism from civil rights advocates over allegations of marginalizing Muslim communities. Election authorities have yet to issue a public response, even as the SIR process remains in its claims-and-objections phase and scrutiny over electoral integrity intensifies.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
