In the city’s Muslim-majority neighbourhoods, a quiet anxiety runs through the lanes. A misspelt name on the voter list or a small error while filling out the new enumeration form has become a source of deep fear. “Could this be used to question our citizenship?” many residents are asking.
For years, mistakes in electoral rolls — an extra letter in a name or a wrong age — were routine and often overlooked. Now, amid the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, such errors feel like potential threats. The worry is especially sharp among those whose names, or their parents’ names, do not appear on the 2002 voter list.
Booth-level officers (BLOs), appointed by the Election Commission for the process, are trying to respond to residents’ queries. They assure people that no documents are required at this stage. But beyond those assurances, answers are few.
“I have a neighbour whose age on the voter card doesn’t match other documents. Another’s name is spelt wrong on the voter list. These errors can be used to question their identity,” said Ibrar Ahmed Khan, a Park Circus resident, after collecting his enumeration form from a BLO on Wednesday.
Khan is also worried for his sister-in-law, whose name is not on the 2002 list. “Her husband, whose name was there, passed away a few years ago,” he said.
Similar fears ripple through nearby neighbourhoods. On Samshul Huda Road, Pervez Akhtar fretted over his 28-year-old son, who was too young to vote in 2002. He repeatedly checked every detail of the enumeration form with the BLO. “People may get irritated with me, but one mistake could mean the EC rejecting my form,” he said. “I’m not worried for myself but for my son. He will have to run from pillar to post to ensure his name is included.”
Small errors that others might brush off are causing deep anxiety here. On Wednesday morning, dozens of residents crowded around Mohammad Shamsus Saleheen, the BLO for Part 145 of the Ballygunge Assembly constituency, seeking clarification.
Every Assembly seat is divided into several parts, each assigned a BLO, often accompanied by booth-level agents (BLA) appointed by political parties.
A few kilometres away on Alimuddin Street, similar scenes unfolded as Abhinanda Mallik, the BLO for Part 204 of the Chowringhee constituency, distributed enumeration forms on Wednesday.
“Many from less privileged backgrounds don’t have proper identity papers,” said one resident, requesting anonymity.
Others had a different set of concerns. Mohammad Irshad Alam, 31, keeps a screenshot of the 2002 voter list showing his parents’ names. Although his parents have since moved to Islampur in North Dinajpur, their names still appear on the Chowringhee list.
Spotting the BLO on the street, Alam hurried to ask his questions.
“What if I am not home when the BLO comes? If I don’t get the enumeration form, our names might get deleted. And later, who knows, maybe our citizenship too?” said Alam, who works as a supervisor in a leather goods factory.