Migrant Disenfranchisement: The Challenge of Ensuring Electoral Rights for a Mobile Population
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Indian Polity and Governance (Elections, Electoral Rolls, Universal Adult Franchise - Article 326, ECI); Economic and Social Development (Migration).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 1: Population and associated issues; Social empowerment; Urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
General Studies Paper 2: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act; Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections; Important aspects of governance.
Key Highlights from the News
In a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, approximately 3.5 million migrant workers had their names removed from the voter list.
This removal was due to them being deemed "permanently migrated" after not being found at their residences during door-to-door verification.
This amounts to the disenfranchisement of migrant workers, as they are unable to vote either in their hometowns or at their workplaces.
India's electoral system is geared towards sedentary citizens and does not align with the realities of constantly traveling migrant workers.
Migrants are unable to register in the voter lists of their working states due to reasons like regionalism and lack of permanent residency documents.
Statistics indicate that this issue is a major cause for low voter turnout in states with high migration, such as Bihar.
The article argues for a portable identity system and a cross-verification model between states as a solution.
It also suggests implementing Kerala model migration surveys in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to study migration in depth.
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