Ahmedabad, India – Hundreds of Indian Muslims staged a protest in Ahmedabad on Sunday, alleging their names were fraudulently removed from voter lists. The protesters claim they were falsely declared deceased, effectively disenfranchising them ahead of upcoming elections.
Local reports indicate that a significant number of Muslim voters in the Dariapur and Jamalpur constituencies of Ahmedabad, areas with substantial Muslim populations, have been affected. These individuals, who had previously registered and appeared on initial voter lists, have reportedly been purged from the rolls.
A video circulating on social media shows protesters holding documents bearing the names of those allegedly declared dead, some of whom are demonstrably still alive. Protesters, along with members of leftist political groups, accuse the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating the removals.
They allege that BJP operatives submitted fraudulent death claims for numerous Muslim voters, leading to their removal from the electoral rolls. These claims are based on the submission of ‘Form 7’ applications, used to request the deletion of voter names.
The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) of India has formally lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat, alleging a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise eligible Muslim voters in the Jamalpur constituency of Ahmedabad. In a letter dated January 18, 2026, MCC coordinator Mujahid Nafees stated that numerous ‘Form 7’ applications for name removals were filed against registered voters across several sections of the legislative assembly constituency.
According to the MCC, nearly 300 such applications originated from a single area, and they estimate that as many as 20,000 deletion requests may have been filed across the broader constituency. The MCC described the situation as a “systematic effort linked to a political party, aimed at diminishing the influence of Muslim voters.” The investigation is ongoing.
