By Aliza Noor
Around 170 km away from where his home once stood, Asif* finds himself in quite a fix in Nagaon ahead of elections in Assam. Most Muslims in the state who bore the brunt of evictions last year will not be able to cast their votes on 9 April. “In Assam, this is happening with many Muslims. Their right to vote is being snatched from them. If any party wins and lakhs are excluded from voting, does it mean their votes don’t count? Do they not have the right to be heard?” he said.
The pattern that has emerged is this: Most Muslims who were evicted have been disenfranchised and left out. Only a minority of them have succeeded in getting a new EPIC number/voter ID via form 6, but each of them faced various impediments along the way only to practice their fundamental right to vote.
This story was originally published in thequint.com. Read the full story here.