West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee resigns from over 20 posts ahead of assembly polls

KOLKATA: Bengal govt, in a note to the EC Tuesday, informed that CM Mamata Banerjee had resigned from over 20 posts which she held in various committees by virtue of being the CM.

Before filing her nomination, Mamata vacated all positions that constitute an "office of profit" to keep all controversies at bay. Among the posts she held were the head of the State Health Mission, and chairperson of the State Land Use Board, Urdu Academy, State Board for Wildlife, among others.





Meanwhile, the first supplementary voter list, published late Monday night, brought relief to some electors who had cleared judicial scrutiny. However, anxiety continues for many voters still placed under adjudication, as they are unsure whether their names will appear in the next list, scheduled for release on Friday.

Ballygunge resident Anubhav Das, an MBBS student at SSKM Hospital, heaved a sigh of relief when he found his name included in the electoral roll. “Though I didn’t receive any hearing call, I was shocked to find my name on the ‘under adjudication’ list,” he said.

Similarly, Siddiq Azam Khan found respite when his name appeared in the supplementary list. Khan, along with two other family members, had been under adjudication. “Three members of our family whose names were under adjudication have cleared the test. There is a note saying I can appeal to the tribunal if aggrieved. Why would I be upset to find my name on the list?” he asked.

Not everyone had such luck. Md Nazmul Islam Khan, a resident of New Town, found his own name included, but remained uncertain about the status of his mother and brother. “There was a mistake in my name, which was not my fault. It was a simple error by someone entering my name in the voter list. Why should I face harassment because of administrative carelessness?” he said.

Other voters remain anxious. Dipali Mal, a domestic help in Shyambazar, said, “I’ve been working here for years, and though my village is in Birbhum, I am a voter in this area. But my name was sent for adjudication. I am very anxious as I don’t know how to check my status.”

Ananta Ghosh, a voter from Shyampukur, also said she was clueless about her status. “On Friday, I didn’t check the list, but today, many friends whose names are under adjudication said the website wasn’t working. I contacted the BLO, but got no answers,” he said.

Party workers faced similar difficulties while trying to download the lists for their constituencies. A TMC worker in Cossipore-Belgachhia said, “Here, over 5,000 voters were under adjudication, but we couldn’t download the list as the website was not functioning.”

Md Mustafa, a resident of New Town, is still awaiting confirmation of his status. “In my family, both my mother and I are under adjudication. This is an exceptional situation,” he said.

Professor and social worker Afroza Khatun, an elector from Survey Park, said she faced harassment despite following all procedures. “In the 2002 roll, my name was spelled as ‘Akroz’. I attended the hearing and submitted numerous documents. Yet, my name appeared on the adjudication list without any fault of mine. This is nothing but harassment,” she said.