Our team members Anil and Suraj are currently on a fact-finding mission to Sonbhadra. During the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, we discovered that several Dharikar camp dwellers in Varanasi — originally from the Sonbhadra region — have not received their SIR forms, nor any information about the need to update their documents.

Many of them are unable to read or write, and without clear guidance they risk being left out of the voter registration process entirely.

To address this, Asian Bridge India has formed a small support team dedicated to helping illiterate and unhoused community members living on the streets of Varanasi. The team provides information, accompanies people through the required steps, and helps them either register as new voters or update their existing voter IDs.

Ensuring that everyone can exercise their democratic rights is at the heart of this effort.