A new government has taken charge in Bengal, and with it comes new hope. But for the thousands erased from the electoral rolls by the Election Commission’s special intensive revision (SIR) ahead of the Assembly polls, hope remains distant. Every day brings fresh obstacles and no answers.

The Telegraph spoke to three such women who are bound by anxiety.

Muslim woman who lives in a slum near Dum Dum Cantonment | Age: 40

She could not fill out an Annapurna Bhandar form online because her husband’s name has been deleted from the rolls, and her two daughters have never been enrolled. She fears all three could be deported — or, as the new government puts it, “pushed back” — from their own country.

Her story:

I used to work as a house help, but had to stop after a major surgery. My husband, a mason, has not been able to work since he was critically injured trying to lift a marble slab. We get by on the ₹1,500 a month my elder daughter earns teaching at an NGO-run school, and the ₹1,500 I used to receive under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme.

On Sunday, I asked someone to help me fill out the Annapurna Bhandar form online. It was rejected because the form requires EPIC (voter ID card) numbers for all family members, and my husband’s name has been deleted from the rolls, while my daughters have never been enrolled. The person tried to submit the form without that information, but I doubt it will go through.

(A volunteer in Calcutta who has assisted women with Annapurna applications said the offline form requires only the applicant’s own voter status. The family’s enrolment status, she said, “is not mandatory”.)

We only found out my husband’s name had been deleted when we went to vote. Despite his health, he has been approaching officials and trying to get his name reinstated. Nothing has happened.

Now we understand the real cost of the SIR. When Lakshmir Bhandar is discontinued, we will have no way to access Annapurna Bhandar.

My husband is also frightened about deportation. His ancestral village is in Bihar’s Vaishali district. We have no connection with Bangladesh. But we have heard of people being sent there, and the fear refuses to go away.

Hindu woman who works at a private firm | Age: 35 | Lives in Dum Dum

She has been told by her ration dealer to submit her EPIC number or risk having her ration card cancelled.

Her story:

On Sunday, I went to our local ration shop to update my card. The man at the counter asked for photocopies of my voter ID, Aadhaar, and ration card.

I explained that my name had been deleted from the electoral rolls during the SIR. I had attended two hearings and submitted all the required documents. My name was deleted anyway.

He said the voter ID was mandatory. I told him it was no longer valid. He suggested I submit the old card and see what happens.

I filed an application under Form 6 for fresh voter registration again on Saturday, but there has been no update. I have been told there is no booth-level officer available — those who previously served as BLOs are now occupied with processing Annapurna Bhandar applications.

I don’t think anyone knows what is going to happen to people like us.

Hindu homemaker | Age: 76 | Lives in Salt Lake

She cannot renew her passport and may lose the ability to visit her daughter in Dubai.

Her story:

I visit my daughter in Dubai as often as I can. Since my husband passed away, I find it very hard to live alone in this house. I have been making the trip more frequently.

I was in Dubai when the SIR began. My daughter tried to fill out the form online on my behalf, but could not complete it — there was a discrepancy in the spelling of my name between my Aadhaar and voter ID. A woman in Calcutta also tried to submit it for me in person. She could not, either. The BLO told her I would need to apply from scratch.

My passport is due to expire soon. I have been told that a valid voter ID is required for police verification before a new passport can be issued. The thought of not being able to go to my daughter — of being stranded here without that — frightens me greatly.

I keep asking people when I can begin the process of getting a new voter card. No one seems to know.