Months after facing suspicion over their citizenship, a large number of migrant workers from Assam are homebound ahead of the assembly elections scheduled there on April 9. They hope the inked finger will prove their legitimacy amid fears that failing to participate in the electoral process could lead to their names being struck off the electoral rolls and further deepen suspicion about their nationality.
They constitute a significant portion of the sanitation workforce employed through private agencies under the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC).
A ground visit by Hindustan Times to a slum cluster near the Haider canal sewage treatment plant, located close to the 1090 intersection, revealed that a majority of residents had already vacated their dwellings, while others were in the process of leaving. Locked shanties, packed belongings, and sparse movement indicated a temporary but large-scale migration back to their native villages in Assam.
‘We vote to prove we belong’
“For us, voting is not just a right, it has become proof of identity,” said Mohd Sadiq, 35, a sanitation worker associated with LMC’s Zone 7, which includes Indira Nagar and other nearby localities through a private agency.
“Every time a survey happens, we are asked where we are from and whether we are Bangladeshi. We are going back to show that we are residents of Assam.”
Sadiq, who currently lives in Indira Nagar, said most of his co-workers have already left.
“Nearly 80% of workers from Assam are heading home. We will return after April 10 once polling is over,” he added.
Meer Hussain, 30, originally from Bongaigaon district and currently working at a private bank, said the migration is happening in phases.
“Around 10 families have already left from this slum. About 50 more people, including us, are leaving on Saturday. Only around 30 people are still here, and most of them will leave before April 6,” he said.
Another worker, Sameer Ali, 27, said that repeated verification drives have created a sense of unease.
“Whenever any department—police or LMC—conducts a drive, we are called for document checks. We are always under suspicion,” he said.
Workers estimate that a bulk of the Assamese labour force engaged in sanitation duties in the state capital has either left for their hometowns or will leave by April 6. Many of these workers have been residing in Lucknow for over a decade, primarily in informal settlements across areas such as Indira Nagar, Chandganj, and parts of Purva village, close to 1090 intersection and various other localities.
Despite their long-term residence, they say they continue to face repeated identity checks during verification drives conducted by civic authorities and police.
Recurring suspicion despite no findings
The current situation has once again highlighted a recurring contradiction: repeated claims about the presence of illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants in Lucknow versus the absence of any concrete findings during official verification drives.
In January 2025, mayor Sushma Kharkwal had publicly claimed that around two lakh illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were residing in the state capital. Following this, multiple verification drives were carried out by the LMC and Lucknow Police across slums and labour clusters.
Teams were formed at zonal levels, letters were issued to police officials, and joint inspections were conducted to identify suspected immigrants. Despite months of sustained efforts, authorities did not find evidence to support the presence of illegal Bangladeshi nationals in the city.
In February 2026, an HT report quoted police officials confirming that no Bangladeshi national had been identified during these drives.
“People from Assam are working here legally as daily-wagers. There is no evidence to suggest they are Bangladeshi nationals,” a senior officer had said.
Another officer from the west zone of the Lucknow police commissionerate had stated that no concrete intelligence inputs had emerged to confirm the presence of Bangladeshi nationals, except for a single case where the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested a woman living under a false identity in Thakurganj in December.
Despite the lack of findings, verification exercises have continued intermittently. In November 2025, the mayor conducted surprise inspections at a Portable Compactor Transfer Station (PCTS) in Gomti Nagar, where sanitation workers—many of them from Assam—were subjected to document verification.
In December, similar inspections were carried out in Phool Bagh colony near Gudamba and in Indira Nagar, where teams checked identity documents of slum dwellers and informal workers. During one such drive, belongings of several families were seized, and they were shifted to an open plot for temporary settlement.
Workers say these repeated exercises, coupled with public statements, have reinforced a perception that Assamese migrants are routinely viewed with suspicion.
“Even after living here for 10 years, we are still asked to prove who we are,” said Hussain. “That is why going back to vote has become important for us.”
Return expected after polling
Most workers said they plan to return to Lucknow shortly after the elections by mid-April or by the end of April. However, officials anticipate that the temporary workforce shortage could affect routine civic operations over the next week.
The LMC has not issued an official statement on contingency measures.
WASTE COLLECTION TAKES A HIT IN CITY
Door-to-door waste collection services in the state capital have been disrupted after a significant number of sanitation workers employed by two private agencies engaged by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) left for Assam to participate in the upcoming state assembly elections there.
Officials from both agencies confirmed a sharp dip in workforce strength, affecting routine garbage collection and sweeping operations across multiple zones.
Dileep Yadav, project head of Lions Enviro, said that nearly 25-30% of their workforce has already gone on leave.
“We have around 2,200 workers deployed for door-to-door collection and road sweeping. Out of these, close to 30% have left for Assam and are expected to return after April 10,” he said.
Similarly, LSA, which manages sanitation services in five zones of the city, is facing a staff shortage. Regional head Abhay Ranjan said that out of nearly 3,000 workers, more than 600 belong to Assam.
“So far, around 135 workers have left, and the remaining are expected to proceed on leave before April 6. They are likely to return by April 10,” he said.
Ranjan added that the agency has started hiring temporary replacements to manage the situation. “We are arranging alternatives, and the disruption will not last beyond four to five days,” he claimed.
However, the impact has already begun to surface at the ground level, with residents reporting irregular garbage collection in several localities.
Residents of various colonies, including Ashiana and Gomti Nagar Extension, and some parts of Indira Nagar localities have also started complaining about irregular door-to-door waste collection from their homes.
In Balvihar Colony, Residents Welfare Association (RWA) office bearer Indu Sharma said sanitation services have slowed down noticeably.
“Most workers engaged in door-to-door collection and sweeping were from Assam. As they have started leaving, waste is not being picked up regularly. For now, collection may be reduced to three times a week due to staff shortage,” he said.
He added that residents have been informed about the situation but continue to face inconvenience due to piling garbage. “People understand that voting is their right, but the disruption is affecting daily life,” he said.
Residents in other parts of the city have also echoed similar concerns, raising fears over hygiene and public health.
www.hindustantimes.com
#Lucknow #Assam #Migrant #workers #return #home #protect #electoral #rights
