Names removed, ‘daughter’ older than dad: TMC finds voter list discrepancies
Times of India | 3 March 2025
12 Kolkata: From names being removed from electoral rolls to a daughter listed as older than her father, Trinamool Congress netas on Sunday heard out multiple discrepancies when they hit the streets to check the voters' list.
The revised electoral roll that had reached political parties last month had the names of a number of voters missing. On Sunday morning, when borough chairman of Ultadanga's ward 35, Anindya Kishor Routh, went to do a cross-verification, he was met with protests. Locals, some of whom had been residents of the area for decades, claimed that their names were deleted from the list without reason. Some complained that their entire families had been removed from the revised list.
"We have spotted that names of genuine voters were deleted. This is very surprising. BJP and CPM have tried to influence Election Commission and delete names of bona fide voters. Many of the aggrieved persons cast their votes even during the Lok Sabha election last year. This is a ploy by the opposition to manipulate the polling process," Routh said.
In Katwa, Daihat, the voter's list had a new entrant from Chandigarh — over 1,655km away. Payal Bhatia was listed as 34 years old while her father's name was provided as Rahul Banik, who is 33. Banik is a local resident and voter, who is not married and has no children. He said he knew Payal, who was a relative of his sister's husband, but was baffled by how he had been registered as her father. A complaint has been lodged with EC and the local administration.
Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the party would continue its door-to-door survey till all gaps were plugged, despite EC's assurance that if voters in different states had the same EPIC number, a unique one would be allotted. "The scrutiny of the voters' list will continue and we will not allow any fake voter to slip in," Ghosh said.
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