Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala MLA and Indian Union Muslim League leader A.K.M. Ashraf has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of colluding with electoral officials to target Muslim voters during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. He said he would file a formal complaint seeking action.
Addressing reporters on Friday, February 13, Ashraf appeared before the Electoral Registration Officer along with individuals who alleged that their names were targeted through false complaints filed by the BJP. He claimed that since losing the last Assembly election in the Manjeshwar constituency of Kerala’s Kasaragod district, the party has been attempting to influence the electoral roll by seeking deletion of specific names during the revision process.
Ashraf alleged multiple irregularities in the process. Referring to Booth No. 128, he said the Assistant Returning Officer informed him that BJP district secretary Lokesh Londa had sought removal of 90 applications. “The BJP district secretary has demanded that the vote be rejected,” the MLA told reporters.
Following the alleged request, seven individuals were issued Form 7 notices seeking deletion of their names from the voter list, Ashraf said. One of those named in the Form 7, Mohammed, was born and brought up in the area and had voted in previous elections, but is now being described as “not an Indian citizen,” he claimed.
Form 7 is filed with the Electoral Registration Officer to request deletion of a name from the electoral roll or to object to its inclusion, typically on grounds such as death, shifting of residence or duplication. Ashraf alleged that since the Special Intensive Revision began, there have been several instances of Form 7 being misused across the country, particularly against minority voters.
The other six individuals were marked as having “permanently shifted” residence, he said, questioning the basis of such determinations. He accused BJP leaders in the constituency of acting in concert with officials.
The MLA further alleged that most of the names sought to be deleted belonged to elderly voters. “Isn’t it wrong to drag 60- and 70-year-old people falsely?” he asked. He also claimed that first-time voters are being removed from the rolls despite possessing valid documents, with their applications rejected for what he termed “petty reasons.”
“This is not Bihar or North India; this is Kerala. You cannot win by removing minorities from the voter list,” Ashraf asserted.
The Manjeshwar constituency is the northernmost Assembly seat in Kerala. In the last election, former BJP state president K. Surendran lost to Ashraf by 845 votes. In the previous election, P.B. Abdul Razak of the IUML had defeated Surendran by a narrow margin of 89 votes.
Meanwhile, the Kasaragod District Collector stated on Friday that 123 applications related to electoral roll updation under the Special Intensive Revision were reviewed in the Manjeshwaram Assembly constituency. Of these, eight were filed under Form 7 and 115 under Form 8, which pertains to shifting of residence or correction of entries.
One Form 7 application was reportedly submitted by a Booth Level Officer and seven by representatives of political parties. Decisions on voter deletion were taken only after both objectors and applicants were given an opportunity to present their arguments, according to Maktoob Media.