ECI assigns deleted voters as presiding officers in East Burdwan
The Statesman | 28 March 2026
Two presiding officers and a first polling officer assigned to election duties in East Burdwan have found their names marked as ‘deleted’ or ‘under adjudication’ in the final electoral roll, raising serious concerns.
Despite lacking voting rights, these individuals have received appointment letters and training notices from the Election Commission of India (ECI), and are scheduled to attend training from Saturday.
Sweta Agarwal, District Magistrate of East Burdwan, said this evening: “We have brought the matter to the notice of the Election Commission and are awaiting further instructions.”
Sheikh Firoj Hossain, a teacher at Ramkrishna Vidyamandir in Chakundi near Burdwan town, has been a voter since 1990. However, his name was listed as ‘under adjudication’ in the final electoral roll published by the ECI on 28 February, and subsequently removed in the supplementary list. He has nevertheless been assigned duties as a presiding officer.
Ayub Ali, a resident of the Pirbaharam locality in Burdwan town and a teacher by profession, has also been appointed as a presiding officer. His name, too, has been struck off the voter list.
Similarly, Sheikh Rabiel Hossain, a teacher at Goureswar High School in Talit, East Burdwan, has been assigned as a first polling officer, even though his name has been deleted from the electoral roll. He also received a presiding officer’s appointment letter. Reacting to the situation, he said: “The same Commission that does not recognise me as a voter now expects me to run a polling booth — where is the accountability?”
Under Indian electoral rules, a person must be an enrolled voter to be appointed as a polling official. Individuals listed as ‘deleted’ or ‘under adjudication’ in the final roll are not eligible for election duty, as they do not possess voting rights.