The ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Delhi has cast an ominous shadow over women sex workers in Garstin Bastion (G.B.) Road brothels. Many of them don’t possess the documents listed by the Election Commission (EC) to verify their details or an extract of the previous SIR with their names or those of a blood relative for mapping, given that they were trafficked to the brothels at an age when they were too young to remember their place of birth.
With the fear of losing their vote has come another fear — that they would be asked to leave. But where? No one can tell. For many who have spent decades on G.B. Road shifting between brothels, the uncertainty over what exclusion from the SIR might mean is growing by the day.
One sex worker, Rita*, in her 40s, told The Hindu that she had exercised her franchise in every election since the 2010 Delhi Assembly poll. “It made me feel equal in some sense. Life is already challenging for us,” she said.
Marked ‘shifted’
A large section of G.B. Road’s 2,800 sex workers, who live in cramped lanes with limited access to basic amenities, is 40 or older, and only 650 of them are on the electoral roll.
A Booth Level Officer (BLO) said she has marked 783 voters ‘shifted’ in her booth, which has more than 1,300 voters. Of those marked ‘shifted’, 450 are sex workers.
None of the 14 women interviewed for this story were in touch with their family, making it impossible to check their details in the previous SIR. They have never been enrolled in school and only possess Aadhaar, PAN and Voter IDs as identity proofs.
However, these documents are not included in the EC’s list of acceptable verification documents if an elector is not linked to the previous SIR in the enumeration phase. As per the commission, the motto of the exercise is to “ensure that no eligible voter is left out, while no ineligible voter is included in the roll.”
‘Will we have to leave?’
Basanti*, who has been a sex worker for more than 30 years, was only 12 when she was allegedly trafficked from Bengaluru (then Bangalore) to G.B. Road. Though she knows little about the SIR exercise, she said her form was filled out, but she didn’t receive any acknowledgement slip.
On hearing about the outcome of the exercise, she echoed the concern of many in her position. “So, if I don’t have a birth certificate or if I never took a matric exam, I cannot vote? Will we be asked to leave Delhi?” she said.
At 52, she has been in rehabilitation for the past four years and has stopped sex work. “I have spent all my life here. I only remember my father’s name. I don’t even know if he is alive or dead.”
No valid certificate
Among the 100 returned forms, the BLO said fewer than five electors had been mapped in the previous SIR.
“The names of those who return the form will be published in the draft roll. If mapping hasn’t been done, they will receive notice to submit any of the 12 documents listed by the EC. However, most of these women don’t have any of those documents, such as a birth certificate, a Class 10 or 12 school certificate, or a permanent residence ownership document. Their names will likely get removed,” the BLO said, adding that nearly 100 more forms are yet to be returned.
Sunita, a social worker associated with Kat-Katha NGO, said that most sex workers were trafficked to the area as teenagers, losing contact with their families. “Access to all women here is also very restricted. It depends on whom they are working for,” she said.
She added that marking sex workers as ‘shifted’ is wrong.
“They switch brothels, which means changing floor, building or a different room. But they are not moving out of the area. It is very common here. The BLO should know that,” she said.
‘Process discriminatory’
Safrin*, in her 30s, who moved to Delhi from Meerut eight years ago, said she voted for the first time in the 2024 general election. “All of us are at the mercy of landlords and NGOs to help us,” she said.
Ms. Safrin said the SIR exercise does not acknowledge them.
“Sex work is helping me raise my children after the death of my husband and save for my daughters’ marriages. But the government doesn’t acknowledge us. If they did, they would know that a sex worker cannot provide family documents. I don’t even remember my mother’s name, so where will I get the birth certificate from?”
Rita*, in her 40s, who stays in a room beside Ms. Safrin, said the migrant working class drives a city but is treated with indifference. “Our rights as citizens are already limited. This exercise is discriminatory. If at this age, you want me to prove that I am Indian or take away my right to choose my Chief Minister or Prime Minister, then take it. What will we be able to do anyway?”
Children of some sex workers, such as Ms. Rita’s son Ravi, are hopeful that their 10th- and 12th-grade certificates will help in the enrolment process.
Speaking to The Hindu, Joint Chief Electoral Officer Balram Meena said there is no separate process for marginalised groups such as the homeless and sex workers. “If their mapping can’t be done and there are no documents either, their names will be removed as per the process.”
(*Names changed on request)
Published – August 09, 2026 01:02 am IST
