SIR deletions, CAA anxiety cast shadow over Matua heartland

Kolkata: The focus is back on identity politics in the Matua heartland of Thakurnagar in Bongaon as lakhs of devotees began gathering at the Matua Thakurbari ahead of their religious festival, the "Baruni Fair", scheduled to begin on March 17, amid widespread anxiety over voter-list deletions under the SIR process.Concern gripped the region after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the Bengal assembly elections on Sunday. Nearly 40,000 voters across four assembly segments — Bongaon Uttar, Bongaon Dakshin, Gaighata, and Bagda — in the Bongaon subdivision were reportedly deleted from the final voters' list under the SIR process. In addition, around 64,000 names were kept under adjudication, raising fresh worries among members of the Matua community.Sources said while many members of the Matua community found their names "deleted" from the voters' list, a section of them had earlier applied for citizenship under Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) but are yet to receive their certificates.Amid the growing tension, the Union home ministry decided to form two high-level committees to expedite disposal of applications submitted under CAA. However, uncertainty remains over when these committees will start functioning, when citizenship certificates will be issued, and whether those who get them will be able to have their names re-enlisted on the voters' list before the polls. . A section of the administration also expressed doubts about the timeline.Ramesh Gayen, a resident of Bagda, applied for citizenship nearly seven-eight months ago. He hoped to receive the certificate before the voter verification process began, but that did not happen. His name has now been deleted from the voters' list. "The process did not move forward in seven-eight months — I don't know how quickly it will move even after forming a committee. The assembly election schedule has been announced. I realise that I will not be able to vote this time," he said.Yogesh Biswas, a Matua devotee from Gaighata, also discovered that his name was missing from the list. Unlike Gayen, he did not apply under CAA. "Those who applied earlier have not yet received citizenship. Let everyone get it first, then I will apply. But it seems I will not be able to vote this time either," he said.Officials, however, fear that even if citizenship certificates are issued quickly, the process of re-enrolling voters may extend beyond this assembly election.Shantanu Thakur, Union minister of state and sanghadhipati of BJP-led All India Matua Mahasangha, said, "Applicants will soon get the opportunity to have their names included on the voters' list."On the other hand, Trinamool RS MP and another sanghadhipati of the organisation, Mamata Bala Thakur, asked, "Why was citizenship not granted earlier if committees already existed?"Administrative statistics indicate that the number of voters currently under consideration in these constituencies exceeds the margins by which the BJP led in the 2021 assembly polls.In 2021, the BJP led by 9,792 votes in Bagda, where 13,459 voters are now under consideration. In Bongaon North, the BJP's lead was 10,488 votes; here, 12,296 voters are under scrutiny. In Bongaon South, the BJP led by just 2,004 votes, but 13,447 voters are now on the pending list. In Gaighata, where the BJP's lead was 9,578 votes, the number of voters under consideration stands at 22,278.