The Election Commission of India (ECI) refuted claims made by Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar regarding the summoning of her family members for a hearing on the draft voters’ list in West Bengal. Ghosh Dastidar had accused the Commission of intentionally harassing her family members by summoning them for the hearing. However, the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer’s office later dismissed these allegations as unfounded.
Ghosh Dastidar had earlier stated that her two sons, mother, and sister were summoned by the ECI, alleging that this was a deliberate act to harass them due to their association with her. The CEO’s office clarified that these individuals were called for a hearing as “unmapped” voters, as they had no connection to the voters’ list in West Bengal for 2002 through self-mapping or progeny-mapping. The last Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal was conducted in 2002.
The CEO’s office emphasized that the allegations made by the Trinamool Congress MP were misleading and that there was no linkage based on the Enumeration forms. The family members were summoned in accordance with the ECI’s notification. Ghosh Dastidar had claimed that her family members received notices as their names were absent from the draft voters’ list released on December 16. The CEO’s office also mentioned that a central team from the ECI, led by Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharati, would visit Kolkata to review the ongoing hearing sessions on the draft voters’ list.
