Kolkata, September 23 (Daily Kiran) : The chairman of the Indian Secular Front (ISF), Naushad Siddiqui, has raised concerns regarding the special intensive revision (SIR) process in West Bengal, questioning the Election Commission’s handling of voter registrations. During a recent interview, he referred to statements made by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Initially, it was indicated that voters listed in the 2002 electoral roll would not need to submit additional documents. Later, it was clarified that if a voter’s name was absent but their parent or grandparent’s name was included in the 2002 list, they would also not require further documentation.
Siddiqui explained that based on these directives, the ISF launched a campaign to help residents fill out SIR forms across villages. However, he noted that many voters, whose names or their ancestors’ names were present in the 2002 list, faced issues during the process. He claimed this led to a significant number of voters being excluded from participating in the elections.
Despite repeatedly raising these concerns with the Election Commission, Siddiqui stated that no appropriate action had been taken. He has called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter.
Siddiqui alleged that in constituencies where elections were decided by narrow margins of a few hundred or thousand votes, the number of affected voters was notably high. However, he acknowledged that these figures and claims are based on the assertions of the involved parties.
Additionally, he addressed ongoing discussions regarding the educational qualifications and birth claims of BJP candidate Hasi Rani Rawat, linked to Nandi Vikram. He mentioned that the matter is currently under judicial review. If the allegations against the candidate are proven true and violations of nomination rules are identified, it could lead to the cancellation of her nomination. He emphasized that the relevant documents and records are still subject to the court’s examination, with a final decision pending the judicial process.
Siddiqui also questioned the Election Commission regarding the allocation of the ISF’s election symbol, alleging it was initially assigned to the party but later reassigned to another candidate or party. He noted that a complaint had been filed with the Election Commission but received no response, prompting the party to approach the court with the necessary documents.
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