Thousands of tribal families from Chhattisgarh, who fled their homes decades ago to escape Maoist violence, are now confronting the grim prospect of permanently losing their right to vote. This crisis is unfolding during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, where booth-level officials are striking off names on grounds of 'non-residence'.
A Legacy of Displacement and a New Threat of Disenfranchisement
For over twenty years, thousands of Adivasi families from the conflict-ridden districts of Chhattisgarh have lived in makeshift settlements in the forests of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. They escaped what they describe as a reign of terror during the peak of Maoist insurgency and the state-backed Salwa Judum movement. Today, they survive without formal land titles, ration cards, or official recognition from any government.
Now, a new existential threat looms. During the SIR, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Chhattisgarh have begun deleting the names of these Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from voter lists, categorizing them as non-residents. Community leaders allege this is being done without prior notice, proper verification, and in direct violation of Sections 22 and 23 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
"What began as temporary migration for survival has now become permanent exclusion," lamented a community representative from Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh.
Official Inaction and Contradictory Data
In a letter to the Election Commission of India and the Chhattisgarh Chief Electoral Officer, Kartam Kosa, president of the Valasa Adivasulu Samakhya, highlighted the injustice. He stated that deletions are proceeding despite no official survey, verification, or rehabilitation process ever being completed for those who fled violence two decades ago.
The letter emphasized that large-scale deletions would constitute a "serious violation of constitutional protections." With no documents proving their displacement, no proof of current residence, and no formal rehabilitation plan, these citizens risk being erased from voter lists in both their native and host states, rendering them stateless in a democratic process.
Peace activist Shubhranshu Choudhary provided historical context, noting that displacement began in the 1980s and accelerated post-2005. "Ninety percent of today's displaced are post-2005," he said. While Telangana and Andhra Pradesh provide basic humanitarian aid like temporary solar panels, they do not grant land titles or recognize these settlements as formal villages, blocking access to permanent infrastructure.
The scale of the crisis is disputed. Telangana acknowledges 24,000 displaced persons from Bastar, Andhra Pradesh cites 8,000, while the Valasa Adivasulu Samakhya claims the number exceeds 48,300. The Chhattisgarh government, after a survey identifying over 14,159 IDPs, told the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) it "will come back with a plan" but never followed through. The Election Commission has not yet issued an official response.
Demands for Urgent Intervention and a Precedent for Protection
This situation mirrors earlier crises involving Kashmiri migrants and Bru refugees of Mizoram, for whom the ECI created special protocols. Choudhary questioned, "ECI has taken special measures for other displaced communities — why not here? These people fled violence. They are not migrants by choice."
The community's letter to the EC outlines urgent demands. These include a joint survey by the Chief Electoral Officers of Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh; allowing IDPs to retain registration in their home constituencies until formal rehabilitation; acceptance of self-declarations and NGO certificates for re-registration; and the immediate suspension of all voter deletions for identified IDPs.
Most crucially, they demand a temporary Alternative Identification Protocol, similar to those granted to Bru and Kashmiri migrants, to safeguard their fundamental democratic right. As BLOs visit empty villages in Bastar and mark residents as "missing," the window to prevent the disenfranchisement of an entire generation displaced by conflict is rapidly closing.
