A fresh controversy has erupted over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls process after the names of several family members of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar were found missing from the draft voter list. Four members of the Barasat MP’s family have now been summoned for a hearing.
According to sources, notices have been issued to two sons of the MP, both of whom are established medical professionals. In addition, her 90-year-old mother and her sister have also been asked to appear before officials at the Block Development Officer (BDO) office for a hearing. The Election Commission has so far not offered any explanation regarding the omission of their names from the draft electoral rolls or the basis on which the summons were issued.
Reacting sharply to the development, Kakoli questioned the credibility of the entire SIR process. The MP, who has been representing the constituency since 2009, stated that she has consistently voted at the same polling booth over the years and that there was no conceivable reason for her family members’ names to be excluded from the draft list.
“My sons are well-established doctors, and my family has never changed its place of residence or polling booth,” she said, expressing disbelief over the situation. “If this can happen to the family of a sitting Member of Parliament, one can only imagine what ordinary citizens are going through.”
The incident has further strengthened the TMC’s criticism of the SIR process, which the party claims is being conducted in undue haste. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC All India General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee have repeatedly questioned how a process that traditionally spans nearly two years is now being compressed into a timeframe of just two months.
Since the publication of the draft electoral rolls, allegations of discrepancies and inconsistencies have surfaced across the state. One such instance that sparked widespread outrage involved a TMC councillor from Hooghly’s Dankuni allegedly being listed as “deceased” in the draft list, despite being very much alive. The party has cited such examples as evidence of systemic flaws in the revision exercise.
Kakoli echoed these concerns, stating that the summoning of her elderly mother and other family members for a hearing raises serious humanitarian and administrative questions. She argued that the lack of clarity from the Election Commission has only deepened suspicions about the fairness and transparency of the process.
Also read: Phase-3 of SIR to cover Telangana: CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Follow us
