Political Controversy Arises Over Voter List Discrepancies in West Bengal

Allegations of Voter List Manipulation

Atish Aziz, son of CPI(M) West Bengal state secretary Mohammad Salim, has raised concerns regarding discrepancies in the voter list published by the Election Commission. He claims that both his and his father's names have been altered to include the Hindu surname 'Awasthi', sparking a political uproar. In a social media post, Aziz stated that he is a registered voter in the Kolkata Port Assembly constituency, and his name is Atish Aziz.

Discovery of Name Alterations

Upon reviewing the draft of the voter list, Aziz discovered that the surname 'Awasthi' had been added next to his name. He noted that this incorrect surname was also affixed to his father's name. Aziz expressed concern, stating that his father has been a politician for decades, and if such an error can occur in their case, it raises questions about the accuracy for others as well. He criticized the significant expenditure on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, questioning its effectiveness given these fundamental errors.

Political Reactions and Implications

In a pointed remark, Aziz highlighted that while certain media and BJP factions were pleased with the notion that the SIR process would target Muslims, the Election Commission inadvertently labeled both him and his father as Brahmins by adding the surname Awasthi. He shared images of the draft voter list showing the added surname next to their names. Aziz mentioned that the CPI(M) booth agent in the area has been informed, and they are currently in discussions with the Chief Electoral Officer's office regarding this issue.

Concerns Over Electoral Integrity

Following the revelation of the surname addition, Samajwadi Party MP Avadhesh Prasad commented that this appears to be an attempt to manipulate votes, suggesting that the Election Commission may be complicit in a conspiracy to unseat Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal. The draft of the voter list was published on December 16 as part of the first phase of the SIR exercise, following the completion of the digitization of census form data.