The names of five MLAs belonging to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) — four from Murshidabad and one from Dakshin Dinajpur — do not figure normally in the final voter list published by the Election Commission of India under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, triggering sharp political reactions ahead of this year’s Assembly elections.
According to party sources, the four Murshidabad MLAs whose names are marked as “under adjudication” are Zakir Hossain from Jangipur, Byron Biswas from Sagardighi, Razzak Sheikh from Jalangir, and Sahina Momtaz Khan from Nowda. All four are reportedly awaiting the supplementary voter list after their cases were placed under adjudication during SIR hearings.
In the Dakshin Dinajpur district, Toraf Hossain Mandal, MLA from Kumarganj, has also found his name in the pending list. Mandal, a two-time MLA, expressed shock over the development, claiming that he had submitted all necessary documents during the hearing.
Zakir alleged a conspiracy behind the omission of names and accused the Election Commission of acting in favour of the BJP.
“We have faith in the judicial system. Many people in the area are in panic. We have asked them not to worry. If necessary, we will organise a larger movement,” he said.
Byron also expressed anger over the issue, stating that the party would not accept what he termed a conspiracy to influence the elections.
On the other hand, BJP leaders rejected the allegations. Bapi Sarkar, BJP’s South Dinajpur district secretary, argued that booth-level officers (BLOs) and electoral registration officials in the area were appointed during the TMC regime. He claimed that internal factionalism within the ruling party could be behind the developments.
EC released the final voter list on Saturday. Across West Bengal, nearly 60 lakh voters are reportedly in the pending category. Murshidabad district tops the list, with 11,01,145 names marked pending. As many as 22 judges have been assigned to handle hearings in the district due to the large volume of cases.
In Murshidabad alone, 2,78,837 names were omitted from the draft list, while 5,200 new voters were added. The total number of voters in the final list stands at 54,75,470. The fate of more than 11,000 individuals remains undecided, including the four sitting MLAs.
In Kumarganj, approximately 30,000 voters have been placed on the pending list. Mandal stated that despite producing pension documents and other proof of citizenship during the SIR hearing, his name has been marked as pending while the names of his wife and children remain on the list. He alleged that the omission of a significant number of names from a particular community could potentially impact electoral outcomes.
There has been no official clarification so far from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal. However, the issue has sparked intense debate in political circles, with many calling for a swift review to safeguard voters’ democratic rights.
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