Panchayat resolution bars enrolment of 'Muslim Voters'

NT Correspondent Kolhapur: A gram panchayat in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district, on 5 September, passed a resolution barring registration of 'new Muslim voters' in electoral rolls. The resolution, a copy of which was seen by The Quint, also mentioned that if new electoral rolls have names of Muslims who've 'recently arrived' in the village, panchayat authorities should take cognisance and get those names removed from the list. The resolution was unanimously passed by the panchayat in Shingnapur village in the Karvir Taluka of Kolhapur district.

This is the translation of the full text of the resolution: "The above issue was discussed in detail and it was unanimously decided that while registering new voters in the limits of Shingnapur village, the names of newly arriving minorities (Muslims) should not be included in the new voter list. Also, when the new voter list is published, if it is noticed that the names of new minorities (Muslims) have been recorded, it has been unanimously decided that the names should be reduced through the Gram Panchayat." While the Election Commission is yet to announce the dates, Maharashtra is expected to go to polls in November or December 2024. Gani Abdul Aajrekar, Chief of the Muslim Education Society in Kolhapur, said that the resolution passed by the panchayat is unconstitutional and discriminatory.

"This resolution is aimed at a boycott of the Muslim community and is discriminatory in nature," he alleged to The Quint. The Muslim Education Society on Sunday, 15 September, approached the District Magistrate (DM) and submitted a complaint against the resolution. "The resolution is against India's constitution which grants voting rights to all citizens. A criminal case should be filed against the Sarpanch, panchayat members and Village Development Officers who decided to take away the right to vote on the basis of religion. The panchayat should be suspended," they demanded in the complaint.

'Resolution is Being Misrepresented': Sarpanch A few hours after rights activists approached the DM, Shingnapur Sarpanch Rasika Patil issued a video clarifying that the resolution was being 'misrepresented' by some people to 'disrupt' harmony.