Bangla Pokkho claims SIR draft exposed dual-state voters; flags exclusion of refugee Hindus

Kolkata, Dec 18 (PTI) Bengali nationalist outfit Bangla Pokkho on Thursday claimed that the West Bengal draft electoral rolls published following the SIR exercise has exposed lakhs of voters allegedly enrolled in more than one state, while raising concern over the exclusion of refugee Hindu Bengalis.

Statewide, the SIR exercise has resulted in 58,20,898 names being excluded from the draft rolls, shrinking the electorate from 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore.

The exercise, conducted between November 4 and December 11, cited grounds including death, permanent migration, duplication and non-submission of enumeration forms.

In a statement, the organisation said around 58 lakh names were deleted from the draft rolls released on December 16, of which about 24 lakh belonged to deceased persons.

The remaining exclusions, it claimed, were due to migration, untraceability or duplication arising from enrolment in voter lists of other states.

Bangla Pokkho alleged that a significant section of those excluded from urban and industrial belts, including Kolkata, were Hindi- and Urdu-speaking voters who allegedly held voter cards in West Bengal and other states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Odisha.

According to the outfit, lakhs of voters with alleged dual-state enrolment have been removed from the draft list, with the highest deletions reported from assembly constituencies such as Chowringhee, Jorasanko and Kolkata Port, and from industrial centres including Siliguri, Kharagpur and Asansol.

The organisation said it had approached the Election Commission at the start of the SIR exercise and submitted memoranda to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, district magistrates and sub-divisional officers, demanding strict action against voters holding cards in more than one state.

Bangla Pokkho claimed that several such voters may still be present in the rolls and urged the EC to ensure complete removal of all dual-state voters from the state's electoral list.

The outfit, however, expressed concern over the deletion of names of refugee Hindu Bengalis, particularly members of the Matua community, alleging that several lakh refugee voters, many of whom migrated following Partition, have been excluded despite not being granted citizenship.

Referring to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the organisation accused the BJP of failing to fulfil its promise of citizenship to refugee Hindus, while claiming that many such voters have now lost their voting rights.

The organisation also raised concerns over alleged illegal enrolment of Nepali nationals in the voter lists of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, while stating that it supports "native Nepalis of Bengal".

It said while the Indo-Nepal Treaty permits residence and property ownership, it does not allow voting rights.

Bangla Pokkho said it would intensify its agitation demanding the removal of all dual-state voters and the restoration of voting rights for refugee Hindu Bengalis. PTI PNT MNB