Khaleda Banu heals patients at the Murshidabad Medical College Hospital, but she cannot find a remedy for a missing line of text on the poll rolls.
The 28-year-old doctor’s name has been struck off the rolls following a contentious “adjudication” process by the allegedly compromised Election Commission. While her parents, Mainul Haque and Aklima, figure on the first supplementary list published on Monday night, Banu’s voting rights have come under scrutiny.
However, Banu is not an outlier. She is among 432 of the 975 voters of a polling station in Debipur village who have failed to make the cut.
Azharuddin, a cop, and Abdul Bari — both 32 years old — have also been unable to meet the EC parameters.
The controversy traces back to February 28, when a preliminary “final” electoral roll placed nearly 60 lakh voters across the state in the “under adjudication” category.
In Debipur, 594 voters were served notices and put in the “under adjudication” category. They showed up at hearings, produced secondary school certificates, land deeds and old records to prove their lineage. Yet only 162 made it to the supplementary list.
“I don’t know why the names were deleted,” said Ashiq Iqbal, a booth-level officer who spent his days drafting the verification reports.
“I collected documents for all 594. They were authentic. I checked them thoroughly. They have lived here for a long time. Despite this, I don’t know why their names were deleted,” he said.
The contentious adjudication process has set off a political storm.
Salim Reza, a Trinamool Congress leader and member of the Jagataj I gram panchayat, tore into the process, alleging a communal conspiracy.
“The names of 432 voters from my booth have been intentionally excluded,” Reza claimed, noting the 100 per cent Muslim demography of the affected polling station. “The BJP’s objective will not be successful... There has been a conspiracy to delete their names despitegenuine documents.”
The administrative response remained a study in practised silence.
Vicky Sharma, the Suti II block development officer, said: “I have joined here recently and have no idea about the issue.”
On Monday, chief electoral officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal attempted to steady the ship, noting that 29 lakh names had been adjudicated statewide and more lists would follow.But for the likes of Banu, the clock is ticking louder than the promises of more paperwork.
“I am shocked,” Banu said. “I stay in Behrampore because of professional obligations, so I have asked my father to do the needful. But I am not sure whether I will be able to cast my vote this time,” she added.
