Malda: Controversy erupts over dead voters still alive in electoral rolls
Malda: A major electoral discrepancy has come to light in Malda where multiple deceased individuals continue to be listed as active voters. The revelation has triggered political turmoil, with Opposition parties accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of electoral malpractice, while TMC leaders blame administrative lapses.
The controversy erupted after Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee’s recent call for scrutiny of electoral rolls. As party workers conducted a review, shocking irregularities surfaced in Chanchal-II block’s Chandrapara Gram Panchayat. At Booth No. 11 in Balarampur, at least 15 deceased individuals were found to still be listed as active voters. Among them were Habil Ali, Giasuddin, Kiamat, Yasin Sheikh, Rahimuddin and Kofiluddin, all of whom passed away years ago. However, their names remain in the voter list, raising serious concerns about electoral integrity. Local Panchayat member Lateja Khatun, who discovered the anomaly, reported it to authorities. Residents expressed outrage, citing administrative negligence. “My husband, Giasuddin, died in 2018. We have his death certificate, yet he remains a registered voter,” said his widow, Mahsina Bewa. Others echoed similar grievances, questioning why the names were not removed despite multiple elections being conducted since their deaths.
This revelation has given ammunition to Opposition parties. North Malda BJP Youth Morcha President Ayan Roy alleged widespread electoral fraud. “TMC has intentionally kept deceased voters in the list to facilitate rigging. In the last Panchayat elections, there were rampant complaints of proxy voting in these areas,” he claimed. However, Malatipur MLA Abdur Rahim Boxi of TMC dismissed the allegations, countering that it is the BJP that manipulates voter lists. “The BJP is trying to create a false narrative. Our party leader has already ordered a thorough verification of the voter rolls,” he stated. Block Development Officer (BDO) Shantanu Chakraborty confirmed that the process of removing the deceased individuals’ names has begun. “We have collected information from the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and will rectify the list at the earliest,” he assured.
Meanwhile, another shocking case emerged in Habibpur Constituency near the India-Bangladesh border. In Kendua village, multiple “ghost voters” were identified, adding to the controversy. Among them were Deepak Saha, Debashish Tamuli, Mithun Das, Yamuti Roy and Paritosh Pal — all confirmed deceased by their families. Additionally, Lily Saha, missing for over a decade, remains on the voter list.
Reacting to the reports, TMC vice-president Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury attempted to shift the blame to the central government. “Voter list maintenance falls under the Election Commission, which is controlled by the Central government. Why hasn’t the BJP addressed this earlier?” Choudhury questioned. BJP South Malda vice-president Ajay Ganguly accused TMC of hypocrisy. “After Mamata Banerjee’s recent speech, her leaders suddenly became active in checking voter lists. But we raised this issue back in 2024. TMC ignored it then and now they are pretending to take action,” he alleged. With both ruling and Opposition parties engaged in a blame game, all eyes are now on the Election Commission’s next steps.
