Rights group alleges Muslim voters wrongly deleted after demolition in Ahmedabad

By A Representative 

The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat has written to the Chief Electoral Officer of the state alleging that over a thousand Muslim voters from Akbarnagar in Ahmedabad’s Bapunagar constituency have been wrongly removed from the electoral rolls following a demolition drive. In a letter dated 17 January 2026, addressed to Harit Shukla, IAS, the MCC claims that 1,206 residents of Akbarnagar’s “Chhapra” locality, who were previously listed as eligible voters in Part 173 of the 49-Bapunagar Assembly seat, have been excluded from the ongoing Special Summary Revision.

According to the MCC, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation demolished homes in the locality, forcing families to relocate to different parts of the city. Despite this, residents were expected to submit enumeration forms to Booth Level Officers for inclusion in the updated electoral list. The letter alleges that enumeration forms were initially distributed and collected, and that 308 residents submitted filled forms and received signed acknowledgements from the BLO. However, MCC says distribution was abruptly halted after a communication reportedly linked to the area’s sitting MLA from the BJP, and many residents were denied forms altogether.

The draft electoral list published during the revision process, the committee states, does not include names of residents from the demolished settlement. When checking the ASD list, affected voters were reportedly marked under the category “Uncollectable Enumeration Forms,” implying forms were not returned, which the MCC alleges is incorrect and an attempt to disenfranchise displaced voters.

The MCC further alleges discrimination, pointing out that residents of Chandola Lake—whose houses were also demolished—were provided special camps to complete voter documentation and their names appear in the current draft rolls. The letter questions how two groups in similar situations received different treatment and whether the Election Commission is acting under political pressure.

The communication cites provisions in the Representation of the People Act requiring advance notice and an opportunity to respond before any voter’s name is deleted, arguing that these safeguards were violated. It urges the Chief Electoral Officer to immediately organise special camps for Akbarnagar residents, restore their names to the rolls, and take legal action against officials who allegedly acted under partisan influence.

The letter is signed by Mujahid Nafees, convenor of the Minority Coordination Committee Gujarat, and was submitted on 17 January 2026.