BJP manipulating electoral rolls to disenfranchise Muslims: Kerala MLA

TRIVANDRUM: A.K.M. Ashraf, Indian Union Muslim League leader and Manjeshwar MLA in Kerala’s Kasaragod, has said that in the constituency, the BJP, in collusion with certain officials, is attempting to systematically remove Muslim voters from the electoral rolls.

Speaking to the media after appearing before the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), Ashraf said the BJP, after losing the last election by around 1,000 votes, is now manipulating the rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), with multiple irregularities surfacing.

Highlighting Booth No. 128 in Manjeshwar, he said BJP district secretary Lokesh Londa attempted to remove 90 applications, bypassing proper online procedures. Seven individuals were subsequently served Form 7 notices for deletion. Ashraf personally accompanied them to the authorities. He said that one of them, a man named Mohammed, who was born, brought up, and has voted in the constituency for years, is now being described as “not an Indian citizen.” The other six individuals, he said, were marked as having “permanently shifted” residence.

Questioning the basis of these actions, Ashraf asked on “what basis such determinations were being made?” He said that there is collusion between BJP leaders and certain officials in the constituency. “Isn’t it wrong to drag these 60, 70-year-old people falsely?” he asked.

He further said that even first-time voters are being removed from the rolls despite submitting the required documents, with their applications rejected on what he described as “petty reasons.” “This is not Bihar or North India; this is Kerala. You cannot win by removing minorities from the voter list,” he said, vowing to take legal action and demanding accountability.

The SIR has drawn criticism from both ruling and opposition parties in the state, saying that the exercise was conducted in a rushed manner, with inadequate time for verification, and described the exclusions as arbitrary, raising concerns over potential disenfranchisement of eligible voters.