Names of three Trinamool legislators in north Bengal, two of whom are ministers of state, are under adjudication, raising questions about their eligibility to contest the Assembly elections, especially if their names do not appear as voters in supplementary lists before the last date to file nominations.
All three leaders are from the minority community.
In North Dinajpur, the supporters of Md Ghulam Rabbani, the Trinamool MLA of Goalpokhar and the minister of state (MoS) for non-conventional and renewable energy sources, expressed concern after his name came under adjudication.
Since 2011, Rabbani has won the seat thrice as a Trinamool candidate.
Rabbani’s supporters have been staging protests, alleging that his name was put under adjudication by a compromised Election Commission for political reasons. Party sources said that while the top leadership is hopeful his name will appear in the supplementary voter list, talks have begun about a possible alternative candidate if needed.
“Ghulam Rabbani has been elected MLA from this seat thrice, yet his name has been placed under adjudication only for political reasons. We hope his name appears in the supplementary list, but there is also the concern that he may not be given the ticket. We are considering another possible candidate to propose to the party if required,” said the head of a panchayat in Goalpokhar.
Rabbani, when contacted, said: "Indeed, my name is currently in the under-adjudication category, but I believe it will appear in the supplementary list. If it does not, there are several alternatives."
Like Rabbani, Tajmul Hossain, the Trinamool MLA of Harishchandrapur in Malda and the MoS of state minority affairs and madrasah education department, also faces adjudication.
“I have been living in Harishchandrapur for decades now, have contested in the polls, and have all the necessary documents. But this time, my name, along with names of some other family members, have been put in the adjudication category for some unknown reason,” said Hossain.
"I am hoping that my name is there in the supplementary list and in time," he said, referring to April 6, the last date to file nominations for the first phase of the polls to be held on April 23.
In the Kumarganj Assembly seat of South Dinajpur, two-time Trinamool MLA Toraf Hossain Mandal also found his name in the under-adjudication category.
Mandal, a retired state government employee, said he had attended the hearing because there was some error in his father’s name and submitted all necessary documents.
“However, on February 28, I found that my name was under adjudication. This is disappointing. I suspect a political conspiracy and am in contact with district and state leaders,” said Mandal.
A Trinamool insider said that the party might announce candidates for these seats later. But if the supplementary lists are not published before the last date of nomination or their names are not found in them, the party would be forced to field other candidates.