Ministers, MLAs in SIR ‘adjudication’ list
North Dinajpur/ Malda: Anxiety has spread across North Dinajpur district after the name of state Minister for Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy Ghulam Rabbani appeared in the ‘under adjudication’ list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.
According to district election sources, 16,117 names have been deleted from the voters’ list during the ongoing hearing process, while 4,80,280 cases remain under adjudication across nine Assembly segments of the district. Of the 21,49,333 names recorded in the draft (beta) roll, 16,52,936 are currently listed as eligible voters.
Reacting strongly, Rabbani said he was “confused and shocked” to find his name placed under adjudication despite submitting all required citizenship documents. “MLAs, MPs and ministers contest elections only after producing valid proof of citizenship. I filled up my form properly and appeared for the hearing with documents. Yet my name has been deleted,” he alleged.
The minister further claimed that the situation in his booth was alarming, stating that only 90 voters figured in the revised list compared to nearly 1,400 previously registered voters. Terming the development a “conspiracy,” Rabbani alleged that two persons from Gujarat were influencing the Election Commission of India to delete the names of genuine voters. “The people will give a fitting reply in the elections,” he added.
The controversy has also surfaced in neighbouring Malda district, where the name of Minister of State for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and Textiles Tajmul Hossain has appeared in the ‘Under Adjudication’ list following publication of the final SIR roll.
Hossain said he received a notice on January 18 regarding a house in Harishchandrapur recorded in his father’s name in 2002. “I stood in line at the Harishchandrapur-I BDO office on January 29 and submitted all necessary documents during the hearing.
Despite that, my name remains under adjudication,” he said. Alleging political harassment, he added, “This is being done because I am a Trinamool minister. If necessary, I will move court.”
Meanwhile, the inclusion of Kumarganj MLA Toraf Hossain Mondal in the SIR adjudication list has triggered widespread debate in South Dinajpur district. The first phase of the revised voter list was published on Saturday, following which it emerged that Mondal’s name figures in the list marked for special scrutiny.
Mondal (66), a two-time MLA elected in 2016 and 2021 on an All India Trinamool Congress ticket, currently serves as the party’s district chairman in South Dinajpur. He said he was summoned for a hearing on February 2, 2026, over an alleged discrepancy related to his father’s name.
“All my documents are in order. I submitted the necessary papers during the hearing. I do not understand why my name still appears in the adjudication list,” Mondal said, adding that he would again approach the Election Commission to seek restoration of his name to the main electoral roll.
The developments across North Bengal have intensified political tensions ahead of the elections, with ruling party leaders alleging irregularities and the opposition rejecting the charges.
