Congress leaders launched an indefinite sit-in demonstration in Malda town on Thursday, protesting against the inclusion of more than eight lakh voters of the district in the category of “under adjudication” on the preliminary “final” list published by the Election Commission on February 28.
The protest was led by Mausam Noor, a former MP who recently returned to the Congress after a seven-year stint with the Trinamool Congress. Other senior district Congress leaders and former MLAs, including Bhupendranath Haldar and Mottakin Alam, joined the demonstration.
On the first day, the protest began at 10am and continued till 6pm.
Speaking to reporters, Noor said the demonstration was organised to highlight the concerns of several voters whose voting rights remained uncertain. She said many of those placed under adjudication had already appeared for hearings before the EC and submitted the necessary documents.
“The demonstration was organised to voice the grievances of lakhs of innocent people who are now uncertain about their franchise. Voting is their democratic right as Indian citizens. Many had only minor logical discrepancies in documents, yet they have been kept under adjudication,” Noor said.
During the protest, Congress leaders and workers held placards bearing slogans such as “Am I a Rohingya?” and “Am I a Bangladeshi?” expressing concern over the scrutiny process.
Noor also announced that the demonstration would continue indefinitely from 10am to 6pm every day until the EC took a favourable decision ensuring the voting rights of those under adjudication.
She noted that despite the ongoing Ramzan, many Muslim leaders and workers were participating in the protest while observing fast.
Former Manikchak MLA Mottakin Alam claimed that even his name was also “under adjudication” on the list.
The Congress leaders alleged that a large number of voters from Sujapur, Ratua, Malatipur and Harishchandrapur Assembly constituencies had been placed under the category. They also claimed that these areas are traditional support bases for the Congress.
The BJP leaders, however, scoffed at the protest.
Ajay Ganguly, president of the BJP’s Malda south (organisational) district, said the Congress was trying to regain political ground after failing to win seats in the 2021 Assembly elections in Malda.
“In 2021, the party was reduced to zero in Malda. Now, they are desperately trying for political revival, but such strategies will not work,” Ganguly said.