Mausam Noor, who had recently rejoined the Congress, on Monday urged the central leadership of the party to consider boycotting the upcoming Bengal Assembly polls in protest against the Election Commission placing nearly 60 lakh voters under “adjudication”.

Noor’s proposal was endorsed by her cousin Isha Khan Choudhury, the Congress’s Malda Dakshin MP and Malda district president.

Congress leaders told the media on Monday that out of 29,86,203 electors in the district, 8,28,080 were put under “adjudication”. The district has around 52 per cent Muslim population.

Noor said that in some Assembly constituencies that traditionally supported the Congress, the number of voters placed in the adjudication category is unusually high.

“In Sujapur, 53.56 per cent of electors have been marked as ‘under adjudication.’ Also, 40.85 per cent in Malatipur, 40.59 per cent in Mothabari, 36.43 per cent in Harishchandrapur, and 36.99 per cent of voters in Ratua have been put in this category. The voters are unsure whether they will be able to cast their votes in the Assembly election,” she said.

“If such a large number of voters cannot exercise their franchise, the election would be a farce. I will appeal to Rahul Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, PCC president Shubhankar Sarkar, and other senior leaders to boycott the polls. Without the participation of those voters under adjudication, the election would have no meaning,” Noor added.

Isha, too, spoke in similar lines. He mentioned that in districts that are along the India-Bangladesh border with significant Muslim populations, including Malda, the percentage of voters put under adjudication is higher.

“The pattern clearly reflects that it was done purposefully. These voters are innocent and have no fault. The AI-governed system improvised by the EC cannot render bona fide Indian voters’ franchise uncertain,” he said.

Noor also alleged a “nexus” between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress to polarise votes, similar to what she claimed had occurred in 2021.

Abdur Rahim Boxi, the Malda district president of the Trinamool Congress, said the BJP was deliberately trying to deprive common people of their voting rights.

“Only Trinamool has been fighting tooth and nail against the BJP’s ploy. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the Supreme Court to fight for the people. Where was the Congress when Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee were protesting against the SIR process?” he asked.

The BJP leaders, on the other hand, scoffed at the Congress.

Ajay Ganguly, the BJP president of Malda (south) organisational district, said Congress was advocating a boycott, fearing defeat.

“They lack a minimum support base and do not want to face the elections. That is why they are exploring escape routes,” he said.

Amlan Bhaduri, a state secretary of the BJP based in Malda, claimed that the highest number of deletions in Malda were from Gazole, Maldaha, Habibpur, and Englishbazar, the constituencies which the BJP had won in 2021.

“We have accepted the ECI’s decision. The Congress is once again trying to play the Muslim card in the district, which will not benefit them,” Bhaduri said.