The National Coordination Committee of Construction Labour (NCC-CL), a labour welfare body, has urged the Election Commission of India to introduce a postal ballot system for migrant workers.

In a letter to the Chief Election Commission of India, NCC-CL coordinator Subhash Bhatnagar, said migrant workers from Bihar, have long returned to their home state to participate in parliamentary, assembly, and local elections. However, recent moves to remove their names from the electoral roll under the SIR in Bihar have sparked outrage among workers’ organisations.

The NCC-CL and its affiliated groups, which have been advocating for postal ballot rights for migrant workers for over a decade, have condemned the proposal to remove migrant workers’ names from the electoral roll rather than granting them access to postal voting facilities.

These workers, employed across various States, including construction sites in Tamil Nadu, contribute significantly to their families and to Bihar’s economy, wrote Mr. Bhatnagar. The increase in migration is linked to shortfalls in MNREGA allocations and worsening distress in the region.

“Whose names were deleted? Migrant workers and Muslims,” pointed out R. Geetha, South Regional Coordinator of NCC-CL, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the voter list revisions on already marginalised and vulnerable communities.

In an appeal, the NCC-CL has called on the Election Commission of India to immediately halt the removal of migrant workers’ names from Bihar’s electoral rolls and to establish mechanisms for postal voting. Until such measures are in place, the organisation insists that the existing rolls remain untouched and that the ongoing verification drive in Bihar be suspended.