Cooch Behar: Allegations of large-scale voter name missing have sparked controversy in Cooch Behar district. Along with the Cooch Behar North Assembly constituency, over 400 names have reportedly disappeared from the 2002 voter list in the Mathabhanga Assembly area.
Trinamool Congress district chairman Girindra Nath Barman has accused the BJP and the Election Commission (EC) of conspiring to remove genuine voters’ names. Addressing a press conference at the Cooch Behar District Trinamool Congress office on Thursday, Barman warned of an intense movement if the deletions continue.
“Now the only question before the people of Bengal is whether they will retain their citizenship or not,” Barman said. “In Mathabhanga Assembly, there were 841 names in the 2002 voter list. At present, only 416 remain—almost half the names have vanished. Some BJP leaders have said that three lakh names will be deleted, while others claim that three crore names will be removed across the state. This clearly shows a deep conspiracy.”
Barman also raised concerns over the situation in Khapaidanga Gram Panchayat under the Cooch Behar North Assembly. “In 2002, there were 717 names in the list, but now only 140 remain. These are ordinary citizens who even voted in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. If they are now termed illegal, then the Prime Minister who won with their votes should resign first,” he said. According to Barman, the Trinamool Congress will soon organise protests at the district, state, and even national levels if necessary. “We will take to the streets with the affected people and launch a strong movement,” he warned.
Responding to the allegations, BJP Cooch Behar district president Abhijit Barman said: “The Trinamool Congress is misleading people for political gain by not explaining the real facts of the SIR process.”