In villages, para after para report en bloc deletions on first supplementary list

Kolkata: Several pockets of rural Bengal have witnessed large-scale disenfranchisement following the publication of the first supplementary list on Monday. From 432 voters deleted at a single booth in Suti and 427 struck off at a single booth in Sujapur to 194 electors deleted from the rolls at a single booth in Khanakul, shocking data is gradually emerging from different parts of Bengal.If Sujapur recorded the highest number of ‘under adjudication' in SIR, with 1.3 lakh voters out of 2.5 lakhs, the supplementary list has only added to the woes. The villagers of Bahadurpur of Seelampur Gram Panchayat woke to find that most of the voters who were under adjudication were deleted on the supplementary list. At Booth 3, 522 voters were under adjudication and 427 were deleted. Mir Ali Mahalder said: "We have been residents of Sujapur for more than 100 years. My name was there in the 2002 electoral roll. Still, I was called for a hearing and submitted all my documents. But my name has been deleted."In Debipur village in Aurangabad, Murshidabad, 432 voters were removed from the electoral roll after adjudication. At booth number 112, 539 of the 1,000 listed voters were placed under adjudication. Of them, 107 names were retained while 432 got deleted. Khirul Alam, 34, said that seven members of his family were sent for adjudication, but only two were included on the supplementary list. "I submitted all documents but still my name has been deleted along with other family members, including two doctors and two physically challenged siblings," he added. In booth 208 under Pursurah constituency in Khanakul, out of 254 voters under adjudication, 194 were deleted. Anarul Ali, 35, said, "My father, three elder brothers and I were under adjudication. My name has been included but the names of my 70-year-old father and three of my elder brothers have been deleted. I don't find any logic here." Another elector, 31-year-old Sheikh Mijanur Rahaman, shared: "My elder and younger brothers' names were under adjudication along with me. Their names were included but my name was deleted." Sixty-nine-year-old Nepisa Begum said: "My third son and I were called for hearing. I submitted all documents but still my name has been deleted. I am extremely worried. I want my voting rights back," Begum said.