West Bengal elections: Have lost vote but will go to booth to register protest, say Mir Jafar kin

KOLKATA: With tribunal appeals unlikely to conclude before polling, the descendants of Mir Jafar, along with thousands of voters whose names have been deleted from the electoral roll, are determined to register their protest by appearing at the polling stations on election day, documents in hand, to challenge their exclusion.

On poll day, Syed Reza Ali Meerza — a 15th-generation descendant of Mir Jafar — will walk to his booth carrying all his documents, hoping for a chance to vote. "If the presiding officer allows it, I will vote. Otherwise, I will return home," said the visibly disheartened ‘Chhote Nawab'.






Just days ahead of the elections, Meerza told TOI that he had little hope left of voting this year after his name was removed from the electoral roll. Among those deleted is his son, Syed Mohammad Fahim Meerza, a Trinamool Congress councillor from Ward 10 of Murshidabad Municipality. The family claims that nearly 346 voters — many belonging to the Nawabi lineage — were struck off from Booth 121 at Nava Adarsha High School in Lalbagh.

The octogenarian said that while district magistrate and district election officer R Arjun informed him that restoration now lied solely with the tribunal, the daunting queues and limited time make the process appear impossible. "At this age, it is difficult for me to stand in long lines," he said from his residence at Qila Nizamat.

The family members maintained that they submitted all required documents and attended every hearing. Many expressed shock, noting their names had appeared in electoral rolls for decades, including the 2002 SIR rolls. Calling the situation deeply ironic, Meerza said: "There was a time when our ancestors judged their subjects. Today, we stand judged and excluded."

This sentiment of defiance is echoed across the state by other "axed" voters who refuse to stay home on poll day. Sixty-year-old Kalabati Devi, who has lived on Alipore Road for four decades, is adamant about appearing at her booth on April 29. "Why should I let my voting right be snatched when I have all the valid documents? All my family members are on the roll, save for me. I have decided to go to the polling booth; let's see what happens," she said.

Similarly, Sanjay Bohra of Bentinck Street called the process "extremely illogical", alleging that voters may have been targeted by their surnames. "I have a valid voter ID and a passport proving my citizenship. I will go to the polling booth and ask why I was kept out," Bohra asserted. In the Sealdah area, 23-year-old Priyangsu Paul expressed disappointment after being told a "spelling mistake" led to his deletion despite submitting correct certificates. "Even if my appeal is not cleared, I will still go to the polling station to know what my fault was," Paul said.

In Bhowanipore, Tripti Dubey plans a similar stand. "Despite the deletion of my name, I shall go to the polling booth and show my documents. I know I may not be allowed to enter, but I can protest outside with my papers," she said. From the royal quarters of Murshidabad to the streets of Kolkata, the message from those stripped of their rights is clear: They will not be silenced, and they will make their presence felt at the booths on poll day.
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