Raiganj: Tension has spread across several villages under Goalpokhar–II block of North Dinajpur district after names of more than 100 voters were allegedly deleted from the voter list published in January 2025. The affected villages include Barabilla and Tharutola, where many residents discovered their names missing from the updated rolls without any apparent reason. The affected residents have started meeting block officials to reclaim their voting rights.
According to local sources, the issue came to light recently when block officials visited these areas for voter verification. Several residents who had cast their votes in the 2024 Parliamentary elections were shocked to find their names omitted. Political blame games soon erupted between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the incident.
Bhadu Seikh, a resident of Barabilla village under Goalpokhar–I block, said: “Recently, block officials visited our area with the voter list published on January 5, 2025. I was surprised to see my name deleted, though I had voted in the 2024 elections. When I asked the officials, they advised me to submit my documents to the block office.”
Ahamed Reza, president of the Goalpokhar–II TMC unit, alleged political conspiracy behind the deletions and stated: “Names of over 100 voters in four villages have been deleted in the new list. All of them voted in 2024. We believe this is a conspiracy by BJP leaders. While BJP has recently gained power in Haryana and Delhi, they are trying to manipulate voter rolls here. We demand immediate restoration of the names.”
However, BJP leaders have strongly denied the allegations. Gulam Salwar, leader of the BJP minority cell in Goalpokhar-I, said: “BJP has no connection with the preparation of the voter list. It is the responsibility of the state administration. Genuine voters can always approach the block office with proper documents for rectification.”