– Shabana Javed
Kolkata: The Election Commission has once again found itself at the centre of controversy after issuing hearing notices to several prominent individuals as part of the SIR of voter list in West Bengal. The latest recipient of such a notice is Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Professor Samirul Islam, who has confirmed that he has received the communication.
According to sources, the notice was sent to the MP on Thursday. The Election Commission stated that a discrepancy was found between the current electoral roll and the voter list prepared during the previous SIR, and based on the linkage shown in the calculation form, it appeared that the MP may have been incorrectly linked to the earlier voter list. As a result, Samirul Islam has been asked to appear before the authorities with relevant documents and information to clarify the matter.
The notice directs the Trinamool MP to appear for the hearing on January 19 at Dunigram A. Karim High School, located in Rampurhat’s Dunigram village in Birbhum district. Dunigram currently falls under the Hassan Assembly constituency, where Samirul Islam is registered as a voter.
It is noteworthy that Samirul Islam’s family has been residing in Dunigram since before Independence, and the MP himself remains a voter of the Hassan constituency despite frequently staying in Kolkata and Delhi due to his parliamentary and professional responsibilities.
Reacting to the notice, Samirul Islam expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Commission’s approach. He said that notices are being issued arbitrarily under the SIR process and claimed that individuals are being asked to prove long-established residency. “My family has been living in Dunigram since before Independence, yet now we are being asked to prove it,” he stated.
Samirul Islam joined the Trinamool Congress in 2023 and was later elected as a Rajya Sabha MP. A professor by profession, he has been actively involved in working for migrant workers across the country for several years. Before entering active politics, he was widely known as a social worker.
The controversy surrounding the SIR process has grown further as actor and three-time Trinamool Congress MP from Ghatal, Dev, was also recently served a similar notice by the EC. Dev has already responded to the notice and appeared for the hearing as directed.
With multiple high-profile figures being summoned under the SIR exercise, the EC’s actions have sparked political debate and criticism. The ruling Trinamool Congress has questioned the intent and transparency of the SIR process in the state.
