Telangana: Trade unionist Shaik Salauddin’s name missing from voters’ list

Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.In the first week of July, amid the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Telangana, Shaik Salauddin (40) found that his vote had been deleted. A renowned trade unionist often known for highlighting labour issues and speaking on behalf of gig workers, Salauddin is the founding president of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU). However, currently, he finds himself speaking with uncertainty about his deleted vote. At a public meeting organised at Sundarayya Vignyana Kendram (SVK) on July 4, he spoke about how despite having voted four times in the past, his vote has now been deleted. From missing voter to 'new applicant'“Once SIR started in Telangana, I checked my voter details online on the Election Commission website. My name was not there. I didn’t read much into it and assumed there was some technical glitch. But then everyone in my family received their enumeration form. When I approached my Booth Level Officer (BLO), he said he wasn’t sure why my form didn’t arrive,” Salauddin told TNM. Salauddin is a resident of Prem Nagar colony, and his name was on the voters’ list of the Amberpet constituency. The BLO told Salauddin that his vote was first shifted to another house, and then deleted altogether. The solution Salauddin was given was to fill Form 6, the official application used for inclusion of a name in the electoral roll for first-time voter registration or when shifting to a new constituency. “I have neither shifted, nor am I a first time voter. I will fill Form 6, that’s not an issue. But I am an old voter, why should I be considered a new voter now?” he asks. “Leaders became MLAs, MPs, mayors because of the vote I cast. Considering how SIR has played out, I worry that my citizenship will also be subject to questioning. I was part of the Telangana agitation and fought for statehood. But now, if I want to apply for a passport, if I want to contest in future polls, I have no proof that I am a longstanding citizen,” Salauddin said.Notably, former editor of The Telegraph R Rajagopal’s name was deleted from the electoral rolls during the SIR process in West Bengal. Following the deletion, authorities refused to renew his passport. However, after significant public furore, Rajagopal’s passport was renewed. TNM is an ad-free platform, not beholden to anybody. We’re only accountable to our readers. Subscribe to TNM to keep us free.