From Bharat Ratna awardee to Padma Shri Awardees: Voter Deletions Raise National Alarm

Muhammed Ashraf, National General Secretary of the Social Democratic Party of India, strongly condemns the escalating assault on democratic rights through targeted voter deletions, exemplified by the attempt to remove Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai, popularly known as Haji Ramakdu, from the electoral roll in Junagadh, Gujarat. The octogenarian folk musician, nationally revered for his lifelong contribution to dholak performances, bhajans, santvani, ghazals, and qawwali, was honoured with the Padma Shri on the eve of the 77th Republic Day. Yet, a Form 7 objection was filed alleging his permanent relocation despite his deep community ties, reportedly by a local BJP councillor. This is not an administrative error but a deliberate affront to democratic participation and dignity.

This incident reflects a disturbing national pattern. Padma Shri awardee and Gujarati humorist Shahabuddin Rathod faced similar objections in Gujarat. Former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash found his name missing during the Special Intensive Revision process. Nobel laureate and Bharat Ratna awardee Amartya Sen was excluded from West Bengal’s voter list. International cricketer and Arjuna Award winner Mohammed Shami discovered his name omitted in Uttar Pradesh, intensifying fears of bias against prominent Muslim figures. Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat was denied his vote in a by election after his name disappeared, which he attributed to political interference. Even the wife of former Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik was earlier deleted from Pune’s voter list, revealing deep systemic failures.

These high profile cases are dwarfed by the widespread misuse of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision process initiated in 2025. Over 6.5 crore voters have been removed from draft rolls across nine states and three Union Territories, with deletions reaching 18 percent in states such as Uttar Pradesh. The impact has been disproportionately borne by migrants, tribals, Dalits, women, and especially Muslims. Booth Level Officers in Rajasthan, Bihar, Assam, and Uttar Pradesh have reported pressure from BJP leaders to submit mass Form 7 objections, fabricate claims of death or relocation, and carry out bulk deletions in minority dominated areas. In Jaipur, a Booth Level Officer reportedly threatened self harm after coercion by a BJP MLA to delete Muslim voters. In Bihar’s Dhaka constituency, nearly 80,000 Muslim voters were repeatedly targeted using BJP letterheads.

In Kerala, serious concerns have emerged regarding the misuse of the current Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process to carry out systematic and orchestrated deletion of voters, particularly targeting Muslim minorities, with multiple reports indicating the active role of the BJP. Complaints from various parts of the state point to the misuse of Form-7 objections to delete voters without proper verification or prior notice, resulting in bulk removals in minority-dominated areas. These incidents reflect a larger, coordinated attempt to disenfranchise specific communities, and such targeted deletions under the SIR process pose a grave threat to the fairness, inclusiveness, and integrity of elections in Kerala.

The crisis is most acute in Assam, where Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has openly declared his intent to exclude Miyas, a derogatory term for Bengali origin Muslims, from voter rolls. In late January 2026, he admitted using the revision process as a pressure tactic, claimed that the community should vote in Bangladesh, and predicted the cancellation of four to five lakh votes, triggering widespread outrage and allegations of electoral manipulation.

The SDPI demands an immediate halt to these revision exercises, an independent audit of the Special Intensive Revision process, and strict accountability for those abusing electoral mechanisms. We urge the Supreme Court of India and the Election Commission to ensure transparency, uphold due process, and swiftly restore the names of legitimate voters. India’s democracy cannot survive systematic exclusion. Every citizen’s right to vote must be protected without fear or favour.