Malda: Allegations of widespread irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list have triggered panic across parts of Malda district. Shockingly, the name of a Gram Panchayat member’s husband and several villagers have reportedly been removed from the 2002 voter list in the border areas of English Bazar block’s Jadupur–II Gram Panchayat.
In the border village of Raipur, Trinamool Congress panchayat member Usha Mondal discovered that her husband, Tapan Mondal, was missing from the updated voter list. “My husband’s name has been deleted, and so have many others in our area. This is a Hindu-dominated border region, and people are terrified,” said Usha Mondal. The situation has fueled political confrontation between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP. TMC leaders accused the Election Commission and BJP of creating fear among citizens. “The BJP is using the Election Commission to stir unrest before elections. We will not allow legitimate voters’ names to be deleted,” said TMC district vice-president Shubhamoy Basu.
However, BJP leaders refuted the allegations. “There’s no need for Hindus to panic. No genuine Indian citizen will lose their name. But names of Rohingyas and illegal Bangladeshi Muslims—added by the ruling party—will be removed,” asserted BJP South Malda district president Ajay Gangopadhyay.
A similar controversy erupted in Malda’s Chanchal, where a van-puller, Shyamal Das, discovered that he was marked as deceased in the voter list despite voting in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “I’m alive, but my name is marked deceased.
This is harassment,” Das said, after filing a written complaint with the district election office. Local resident Prosenjit Sharma remarked: “His father passed away, not him. The administration must correct this mistake immediately.”
While TMC alleges a politically motivated attempt to create confusion, the BJP claims it exposes TMC’s past manipulation of voter rolls—intensifying tensions as the state prepares for upcoming polls.