Skip to main content

Gujarat's deleted voter complains: State Election Commission helpline didn't work, voter feedback displayed error

By A Representative
Suspecting wide-scale efforts to “rig” elections to the six municipal corporations, top human rights organization,  a senior activist with the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has asked Gujarat’s State Election Commission (SEC) to announce “re-voting or make special arrangements for voters who are eligible but could not cast their voters due to negligence of the SEC.”
Wanting the SEC to publicly “apologize” for the inconvenience this may cause to voters who will have to take special leave for voting from their routine schedule during working days, PUCL’s Ahmedabad convener Jatin Sheth said in a letter to SEC chairman Varesh Sinha that he, like thousands of others, was victim of the mess created by the election machinery on the polling date, November 22.
Sheth said, he is an “an eligible voter”, and though his name was there in the voters’ list, “someone had put red stamp of 'delete',” and so booth in-charge “rejected” his right to vote. He added, “Since this had happened in thousands of cases across in Ahmedabad, during the election process, the SEC realized the mistake.”
The result was, it “announced through media that, in such cases, voters may be allowed to cast their votes”, Sheth said, though adding, “The announcement through media is not the right thing, at least SEC must be aware of.”
Jatin Sheth
According to Sheth, “I tried to use website of the Gujarat State Election Commission by clicking on http://sec.gujarat.gov.in/Default.aspx for submission of my complaint.”
Pointing out that his experience with the website was “horrible”, Sheth said, there was “no email address anywhere in this website”, there was a helpline number, 1950, but it never responded.”
He added, “All the time, ring was passing but no one responded even at this crucial hour of election process!”
Sheth further said, “When I tried to click on 'search your name in voters' list' to verify my eligibility position online, the opening page displayed ‘Error’!”
And strangely, while searching for other websites to access the information, especially email ID of the SEC, he came across another website of https://ceo.gujarat.gov.in/ContactUs_english.aspx, of the Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State, which is operating under the Election Commission of India, has nothing to do with SEC’s working, except for sharing voter list.”
“The worst experience of Digital India and the so-called Gujarat development model”, said Sheth. This came when he tried to submit his feedback/complaint to http://sec.gujarat.gov.in/Default.aspx.
He stated, “The verification code did not accept my feedback/complaint with the display of message that invalid capcha (verification code). I tried several times by taking all necessary care, but invariably it failed.”
Seeking the SEC chairman’s intervention, Sheth said, he hoped “the deprived voters” who do get an “opportunity to cast their votes in this election since it is their right”, adding, “It is a pity that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is speaking about 'Digital India',' Skill India, 'Make in India'' and 'Stand up India' etc. around the globe, but Gujarat’s SEC is not coping up with its constitutional responsibilities.”
Sheth said, the SEC’s main job is to “guard the democracy by ensuring that eligible voters do not lose their right to vote during elections and right to participate in the democratic process of election.”
 Yet, he added, “In spite of Gujarat High Court's severe criticism for SEC's negligence, it seems that the commission has preferred not to listen to the High Court and go in 'My way or highway'." Sending a copy of the letter to the Gujarat High Court, he insisted, it should “to take this complain as suo motu petition and protect the right of deprived voters.”

Comments

TRENDING

Wave of disappearances sparks human rights fears for activists in Delhi

By Harsh Thakor*  A philosophy student from Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University, and an activist associated with Nazariya magazine, Rudra, has been reported missing since the morning of July 19, 2025. This disappearance adds to a growing concern among human rights advocates regarding the escalating number of detentions and disappearances of activists in Delhi.

How community leaders overcome obstacles to protect forests and pastures in remote villages

By Bharat Dogra  Dheera Ram Kapaya grew up in such poverty that, unable to attend school himself, he would carry another boy’s heavy school bag for five kilometers just to get a scoop of daliya (porridge). When he was finally able to attend school, he had to leave after class five to join other adolescent workers. However, as soon as opportunities arose, he involved himself in community efforts—promoting forest protection, adult literacy, and other constructive initiatives. His hidden talent for writing emerged during this time, and he became known for the songs and street play scripts he created to promote forest conservation, discourage child marriages, and support other social reforms.

‘Act of war on agriculture’: Aruna Rodrigues slams GM crop expansion and regulatory apathy

By Rosamma Thomas*  Expressing appreciation to the Union Agriculture Minister for inviting suggestions from farmers and concerned citizens on the sharp decline in cotton crop productivity, Aruna Rodrigues—lead petitioner in the Supreme Court case ongoing since 2005 that seeks a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops—wrote to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 14, 2025, stating that conflicts of interest have infiltrated India’s regulatory system like a spreading cancer, including within the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Overriding India's constitutional sovereignty? Citizens urge PM to reject WHO IHR amendments

By A Representative   A group of concerned Indian citizens, including medical professionals and activists, has sent an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to reject proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) before the ratification deadline of July 19, 2025. 

The GMO illusion: Three decades of hype, harm, and false hope

By Sridhar Radhakrishnan  Three decades of hype, billions of dollars spent, and still no miracle crop. It's time to abandon the GMO biotech fairy tale and return to the soil, the seed, and the farmer. “Trust us,” they said. “GMOs will feed the world.” Picture a world where there is plenty of food, no hunger, fields grow without chemical pesticides, children are saved from malnutrition, and people live healthily.

Sandra Gonzalez Sanabria: An inspiring life from Colombia’s Amazonian valley

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  In the village of Héctor Ramírez, known as Agua Bonita, in La Montañita, Caquetá, Colombia, a vision of peace and renewal is unfolding. In the pre-2016 period, this would have been nearly impossible for outsiders to visit, as it was the epicenter of violent resistance against state oppression. However, after the Peace Accord was signed between the Colombian government and former revolutionaries—marking the end of a 70-year insurgency that claimed over 400,000 lives until 2025, including civilians, rebel fighters, and security personnel—things began to change. Visiting Agua Bonita during the Global Land Forum in Bogotá revealed a village of hope and resilience. Former FARC revolutionaries have settled here and transformed the village into a center of peace and aspiration.

Indigenous Karen activist calls for global solidarity amid continued struggles in Burma

By A Representative   At the International Festival for People’s Rights and Struggles (IFPRS), Naw Paw Pree, an Indigenous Karen activist from the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), shared her experiences of oppression, resilience, and hope. Organized with the support of the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), the event brought together Indigenous and marginalized communities from across the globe, offering a rare safe space for shared learning, solidarity, and expression.

Activists allege abduction and torture by Delhi Police Special Cell in missing person probe

By A Representative   A press statement released today by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) alleges that several student and social activists have been abducted, illegally detained, and subjected to torture by the Delhi Police Special Cell. The CASR claims these actions are linked to an investigation into the disappearance of Vallika Varshri, an editorial team member of 'Nazariya' magazine.

India’s zero-emission, eco-friendly energy strategies have a long way to go, despite impressive progress

By N.S. Venkataraman*   The recent report released by OPEC’s World Oil Outlook 2025 has predicted that by the year 2050, crude oil would replace coal as India’s key energy source. Clearly, OPEC expects that India’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy will continue to remain high in one form or another.