Names of dead voters remain in Silchar roll despite SR exercise

Silchar: Controversy surrounding Special Revision (SR) refuses to die down in Assam as names of several deceased individuals have cropped up in the electoral roll, featuring Silchar residents, raising concerns about the accuracy of corrections made by the election authorities.Among those yet to be removed from the roll are Malina Kar Purkayastha, Uma Shankar Sarkar, Sudipa Bhattacharya, Biswajyoti Raha and Sribas Das, residents of Ward No. 38, under the Silchar Municipal Corporation, and registered voters at Centre No. 176. Local residents said they had passed away several years ago.Family members of some of the deceased alleged that they had informed the booth level officer (BLO) during the house-to-house verification visits and had submitted the required documents.When contacted, some BLOs said they had duly submitted revised records along with supporting documents. “Over the years, I have updated records related to the deaths of voters, marriages, relocation of residents and other changes. However, to my surprise, in many cases the corrections were not reflected when the electoral roll was revised,” said a BLO, requesting anonymity.The discrepancies have sparked concern among residents, who fear that such lapses could undermine the credibility of the electoral process.Cachar district election officer Masi Topno, said the issue may have remained unresolved because no formal objections were filed. “However, I will take it up,” he said.