346 descendants of former Bengal Nawab Mir Jafar struck off rolls
Times of India | 31 March 2026
Kolkata: In an ironic twist of fate, descendants of a dynasty whose writ once ran across Bengal, Bihar and Odisha will now have to queue up before tribunals to re-establish their identity as genuine citizens. About 346 descendants of Mir Jafar — commander-in-chief of Siraj-ud-Daulah's army who became nawab of Bengal with support from the East India Company after the Battle of Plassey in 1757 — have been struck off the electoral roll.
Voters of booth No. 121 in Lalbagh Nav Adarsh High School in Murshidabad till 2025, their names had been put ‘under-adjudication' after the special intensive revision.
Syed Reza Ali Meerza, 82, popularly known as ‘Chhote Nawab', said not only his name but those of nine members of his family, including that of his son, a municipal councillor, have been deleted.
"When my name was put under adjudication, I appeared with all documents for the hearing. Officials assured that my name will remain on the roll. But when the supplementary list came out, we found that my entire family — and hundreds from the nawabi clan — had been wiped off," he said. His son, Syed Mohammad Fahim Meerza, a Trinamool councillor from ward 10 said, "Our names were there on the 2002 voters' list. We are clueless why they have been excluded now."
A 15th-generation descendant of Mir Jafar, Meerza lives near the iconic Killa Nizamat in Lalbagh, an area still home to many members of the extended family. "There was a time when our ancestors judged their subjects. Today, the Election Commission has judged us — and removed us from the voters' list," Chhote Nawab rued.
The family argues that their Indian identity is beyond dispute. Meerza recalled that his ancestor, Wasif Ali Meerza, declined an offer to become President of Pakistan after Partition, choosing to remain in India. "Murshidabad was part of Pakistan for three days after Independence. It was due to our family's intervention that it became part of India," he claimed. He also cited past legal recognition of their lineage by the Supreme Court as further validation. "What greater proof could there be that we are citizens of India?" asked Fahim.
While the option to appeal before tribunals remains, the family fears the process will stretch beyond the upcoming elections, effectively disenfranchising them this year. Murshidabad votes in the first phase on April 23.
Murshidabad DM R Arjun said, "We have not received any complaint of largescale deletion from the Nawab family. If and when we do, we will guide them through the procedure for approaching the tribunal for redressal."