“A woman’s home, native place and address would change to her in-laws after marriage is not law.”

The political parties removed the names of married and adolescent girls from the electoral roll in Kerala. Hiba Haroon, a research student at Jawaharlal Nehru University said, “The notion that a woman’s home, native place and address would change to her in-laws after marriage is not law.”

Hiba, a native in Karassery, received a notice from her Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) that the office has received a complaint asking it to remove her name from the voters’ list as she has been married off. But she was not ready to accept the practice of political parties intervening to remove the names of married off girls. Thus she expressed her anger in the form of a post on social media.

She said, “The complainant could be a local person, who is known to all. He believes that I, as a woman, have no individuality to decide on my vote, but will go only according to my family’s political leanings.” Shirin Thasneem, another young woman who received the ERO’s notice also cited the same reason. Her father, Mohammadali said, “The complainant is our neighbour’s. When I asked him, he told me that he was not aware of it.”