Kolkata, 27 December (H.S.):
Four members of Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar's family have been summoned by the Election Commission for a hearing as part of the Special Intensive Rivision(SIR) of the voter list. Those who received the notice include Kakoli's 90-year-old mother, Ira Mitra. Her sister and two sons have also been asked to appear for the hearing. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has accused the Election Commission of unnecessary harassment over this move.
The SIR hearing process began in West Bengal on Saturday. According to commission sources, in the first phase, voters whose names are on the 'no mapping' list are being summoned. These are voters who could not prove their connection to the 2002 voter list in the enumeration form. The commission is now verifying their documents during the hearing. Notices were sent to Kakoli's family members as part of this process.
Kakoli's mother and sister are voters in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district, while her two sons, Vishwanath and Vaidyanath, are doctors by profession and are voters in Kolkata. Kakoli did not clarify the reason given in the notice for summoning them. She criticized the commission, saying that it is arbitrarily trying to remove people's names or place them under suspicion. She questioned that if this is happening to the families of elected representatives, one can imagine the plight of ordinary citizens.
Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said that she will hold a press conference on this issue. During the conference, she will also make public some documents related to the voter list and present her side of the story regarding the commission's process.
It is being reported that this process will not be limited to the 'no mapping' list alone. The commission has also identified approximately 1.36 crore voters as suspicious based on the enumeration forms. These discrepancies include errors in spelling of names, age, parents' names, and addresses. These voters may also be summoned after the hearing of the 'no mapping' list is completed. The entire SIR process in West Bengal will continue until February 7, and the final voter list will be published on February 14.
Notably, the SIR process has started simultaneously in West Bengal and 11 other states and Union Territories across the country. The Election Commission's booth-level officers are visiting homes in villages and cities to contact voters and distribute enumeration forms. An online form filling facility has also been provided for those who live outside the state for work.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey
