No Forms, no network, no vote: 2 lakh Tamil Nadu hill tribes members’ voting rights in danger

Across the hill regions of Tamil Nadu, thousands of tribal voters are facing the danger of losing their voting rights due to documentation hurdles, lack of mobile connectivity, migration for work, and insufficient time for verification.

In areas with hundreds of eligible voters, dozens remain unregistered or have had their forms rejected, even though many voted in previous elections. Several hill communities still lack basic facilities such as mobile phone towers, forcing residents to walk kilometres just to access information.

Tribal communities across Palamalai, Pachamalai, Kalrayan Hills, Yelagiri, Aranuthu Malai, Kodaikanal and Ooty say they are unable to meet the Election Commission’s documentation demands within the deadline. Many migrant workers cannot afford to travel back from other states to submit forms, risking permanent removal from the voters’ list.

If tribal voters lose their voting rights, they will also lose the right to contest in local body, block and district-level elections under the ST quota. The Tamil Nadu Tribal Association has urged authorities to extend the deadline and conduct door-to-door verification to ensure no eligible voter is excluded.