Kalimpong BDO’s name among ‘Under Adjudication’ entries in final electoral roll after SIR

REZA PRADHAN

DARJEELING,: Among several notable names in West Bengal tagged as “under adjudication” in the final electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, the inclusion of Kalimpong 1 Block Development Officer (BDO) Samirul Islam has come as a surprise.

Islam, who originally hails from Samserganj in Murshidabad and is currently serving as the BDO of Kalimpong Block 1, had reportedly submitted all the necessary documents required under the SIR process.

His name appearing on the adjudication list has raised eyebrows, especially as one of the key requirements for a BDO in India, being an administrative post, is Indian citizenship. BDOs across the State are also designated to oversee the SIR process. The inclusion of a serving BDO in the adjudication list has, therefore, led to questions about whether the SIR process was carried out properly.

According to the Election Commission’s official website, where Islam submitted the required documents, the reason cited for his name appearing on the adjudication list is a “logical discrepancy”. The website states that the linkage he provided was based on his father’s and mother’s names appearing in the 2002 SIR voter list.

Details available on the portal mention that he filled up the enumeration form through voters.eci.gov.in and submitted documents against a notice issued on the same platform. He also uploaded the 2002 West Bengal SIR extract of his father, along with his Class X pass certificate and admit card bearing his father’s name, the website states. It further mentions that he submitted the same documents during his hearing.

In Darjeeling, the names of Avinash and Nanda, son and daughter of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung, have also appeared in the “under adjudication” list, becoming a topic of discussion.

According to an official, the final electoral roll is expected to be published later this month after further rectification. The names currently under adjudication will also be reviewed following a recent Supreme Court order. The Supreme Court had recently deployed judicial officers to verify claims and objections filed by voters excluded from the electoral roll during the SIR process in West Bengal.