Kolkata, 3 December (H.S.) :

A fresh controversy has erupted in West Bengal’s Barasat after residents discovered that the name of a Booth Level Officer (BLO), Manas Haldar, appeared in the voter list of two different polling booths within the same Assembly constituency. The revelation has triggered anger and mistrust among local residents.

Manas Haldar is appointed as the BLO for Booth No. 9 under Chhota Jagulia Panchayat in Barasat Block–I. Despite this, his name was also found in the voter list of another booth in the same constituency. The irregularity prompted strong reactions from residents of Bamanpara in Chhota Jagulia Panchayat.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) immediately took the matter to the local Block Development Officer (BDO), questioning the transparency of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the state.

Responding to the allegations, Haldar said that his name had been shifted from one booth to another, but due to overlapping updates, it continued to appear in both lists temporarily.

BDO Rajiv Dutta Chowdhury confirmed that a complaint had been lodged.

“A complaint has been received in this regard. We are looking into the matter,” he said.

Questions over the conduct of several BLOs have surfaced ever since the SIR process began in West Bengal. Earlier complaints alleged that voter enumeration forms were distributed improperly—from roadside stalls or even from the homes of ruling party leaders.

According to the voter lists, Bamanpara resident Manas Haldar is registered as a voter in Booth 28 and Booth 29 of the 119-Barasat Assembly constituency. In both entries, his father’s name is recorded as Sudhanshu Haldar, leaving no room for mistaken identity.

BJP’s Barasat Mandal President Swarup Saha criticised the irregularity, saying:

“The person responsible for identifying fake voters has his own name listed at two places. This is a violation of Election Commission rules. We demand full transparency in the voter registration process.”

Meanwhile, Amal Das, head of the Trinamool Congress–run Chhota Jagulia Gram Panchayat, said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had already stressed the need for a clean and accurate voter list.

“If a name appears in two places, the SIR process will ensure that it remains only at the permanent address and is removed from the other location,” he assured.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh