Empty polling booths, scarred villages at ground zero of SIR rage

MOTHABARI (MALDA): "Apnara naam tulte esechen? Vote dite parbo? (Have you come to enlist our names? Can we cast our votes?)" — these were the cries that greeted TOI as hundreds of deleted voters mobbed this correspondent at Mothabari on polling day.

Only in the first week of this month, this nondescript village made headlines after aggrieved voters held a group of judicial magistrates hostage for hours. Since then, Mothabari has seen a cascade of developments — an NIA probe, multiple arrests, deployment of CAPF and a relentless political blame game.



But on election day, all other issues receded into the background. SIR was on everyone's lips — for those who could vote and, more poignantly, for those who could not.

Matiur Rahman of Alinagar, after submitting documents ranging from his admit card to certificates from Madhyamik to post-graduation, discovered that his name — along with those of two family members — had been struck off the electoral roll. "While the fortunate ones have gone to the booths, we are restricted from even stepping onto the road today. Is this democracy?" he asked.

At Sardarpara in Mothabari, a group of women — Manju Biwi, Asima Khatun and Chandni Khatun among them — rushed out of their huts clutching their EPIC cards on spotting media persons. "We have voted many times. Even in the 2024 general election, we used these cards. Why are they invalid now?" they asked.

For months, they said, they stood in queues for hearings and submitted documents. Watching the nation's biggest festival of democracy from a distance, they had just one appeal: "Please note down our names and ensure we can vote next time."

Sixty-year-old Dilip Sk of Mahaldartola was still trying to make sense of his exclusion. His son Azad's name featured on the rolls, but his did not. "If I am not there, how is my son there?" he asked. Dilip claimed his name existed in the 2002 electoral roll, on the basis of which his sons were later enlisted, yet he was deleted. "Can logic explain this?" he wondered.

There were also migrant workers who returned in significant numbers from other states, driven by fears that missing this election could jeopardise their citizenship.

For labourers like Jugnu Sk and Jiyem Sk, who travelled back from Hyderabad and Mumbai just two days ago, the blow was particularly harsh. "I came twice within a month to attend SIR hearings. Still, my name has been deleted," said Jiyem. Asked why he returned again, he replied, "I was hoping my name would be cleared by the tribunal."

Even among those who managed to vote, there was little sense of celebration. Samiul Ahmed of Lakshmipur said he felt guilty. "My son and I could cast our votes but my niece couldn't. How can we rejoice?" he said. Rajiul Mahaldar was more blunt: "This is a black day for democracy."

It perhaps explained the unusually thin queues outside booths — some places wore an almost deserted look after the first two hours.

At Mathurapur Primary School, booth 1116, the electorate had shrunk from 1,116 to 592. At Mominpara, the number dropped from 1,005 to 577. Presiding officer Humayun Kabir did not conceal his assessment: "With such small numbers, voting will be over soon." But even then, almost all of those remaining valid voters came out to vote on Thursday as Mothabari clocked the district's highest poll percentage at 92.3% as per the trends till 5 pm.
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