KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress MLA from Goalpokhar Assembly constituency in North Dinajpur district, Md Ghulam Rabbani, and the party strongman Kajal Sheikh, a nominee from Hasan seat in Birbhum district, were not figured in the first supplementary list consisting of the names of 29 lakh adjudicated voters released by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The list published on Monday midnight triggered a row in the ruling party in the State.
Questions have already arisen over the eligibility to contest the polls.
Rabbani, a three-time legislator from the constituency of Goalpokhar, has been fielded by Trinamool Congress from the same seat in the upcoming elections in Bengal.
He could not find his name in the supplementary list after searching the ECI official website.
“I have submitted all necessary documents, including school certificate, passport, voter ID, and Aadhaar card, during hearings of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. But I could not find my name in the supplementary list. I don’t know how it turned out to be possible?” Rabbani told the media.
Around 78 lakh voters in his constituency have been marked as ‘under adjudication’ status, so far.
Expressing concern, he asked, “Is it possible for so many voters in my constituency to reach out to the appellate tribunals seeking inclusions to the voter list? I am concerned."
He added that he would appeal to the tribunal over the issue.
“It is a conspiracy of both the BJP and the Election Commission of India to remove voters as much as possible from the electoral rolls in the name of the SIR exercise,” he alleged.
Rabbani’s supporters have been staging protests, alleging that his name was put under adjudication by a compromised Election Commission for political reasons.
"Party leadership is looking into the issue,” said a local Trinamool Congress leader in North Dinajpur district.
The name of another Trinamool Congress strongman, Kajal Sheikh, who has been pitted by the party from Hasan assembly constituency in Birbhum district, also did not figure in the list.
But he hopes that his name will be there in the next supplementary list, likely to be released by the end of this month.
Both North Dinajpur and Birbhum will go for the vote on April 23, and the last date for submission of nomination papers is April 6.
Kajal was not available for a comment. Meanwhile, a senior Trinamool Congress leader said that the leadership may field other candidates in the two seats if their names are not figured in the list before the last date of submitting nominations.
