Ground reports show many residents may not be able to vote after deletions linked to age gaps, family records and spelling issues
NANDIGRAM — With polling due on 23 April in Nandigram in West Bengal, several residents say they will be unable to vote after their names were removed from the electoral roll under what authorities describe as “logical discrepancy”.
Among them is Mamoni Khatun from Mohammadpur village, who said her name was deleted due to a reported age gap issue between her and her parents. “I do not understand this reason. How can this be a ground to remove my name?” she said, holding a notice issued by the Election Commission of India.
In the same village, many others gathered outside their homes with similar notices. Several residents said the reasons cited include small differences in age records, spelling variations in documents, and discrepancies in family details.
Thirty-year-old Ziarul Khan said, “My father had two marriages and many children. Now the notice says more than six people have named the same father, so my case is under suspicion. What should we do?”
Standing nearby, 60-year-old Moti Khan added, “I have five children, but the notice says six and three names have been removed. We have shown documents again and again. We are tired.”
Officials say the matter is under review. Niranjan Kumar, district election officer of Purba Medinipur, said, “The matter is in the Supreme Court. The process is ongoing. If documents are found correct, names will be restored.”
Data analysis by the Sabar Institute suggests that a large majority of those affected in Nandigram are Muslim voters. Of the 3,461 names removed in this category, around 3,270 are reported to belong to Muslims.
This has raised questions among residents and experts, especially as Muslims form a smaller share of the population in the constituency.
The discrepancies cited include cases where more than six individuals are linked to one parent, unusual age gaps between parents and children, and differences in spelling across documents.
Election authorities have earlier argued in court that such checks are needed to identify irregularities. They referred to cases where an unusually high number of voters were linked to a single individual as a parent, which they said could not be considered valid mapping.
However, some researchers disagree with this approach. Sabir Ahmed, director of the Sabar Institute, said, “There can be social reasons for such data patterns, including orphanages or naming practices. It should not automatically lead to deletion.”
He also pointed to possible technical issues. “Translation and data processing errors can create mismatches, especially when records are converted between languages,” he said.
Political reactions have also emerged. Dilip Ghosh of the Bharatiya Janata Party suggested that documentation issues could be a factor, while leaders from the Trinamool Congress have questioned why a large number of Muslim voters appear affected under this category.
Prof Himadri Chatterjee of the University of Calcutta said, “This issue has shifted political debate. Concerns about voter inclusion are now central.”
For many affected residents, the concern goes beyond voting. Ziarul Khan said, “Today our names are removed from the voter list. Tomorrow, we fear our identity itself could be questioned.”
As polling day approaches, the situation remains under scrutiny, with officials maintaining that verification is ongoing while residents continue to seek restoration of their names.
