A family from Kolkata's Pailan area endured a stressful and costly voter verification process this week, highlighting apparent gaps between Election Commission directives and ground-level implementation. Kaustuv Chandra, along with his wife Tapati and their sons Kushal and Pranojjal, were summoned for a hearing despite their names being on a legacy voter list.
A Costly and Confusing Summons
The trouble began when Kaustuv Chandra and his wife Tapati discovered their names were present on the SIR (Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls) 2002 list but were missing from the Booth Level Officer (BLO) application. This discrepancy led to the entire family receiving a notice to attend a hearing at Meen Bhavan on Tuesday.
Chandra pointed out a critical contradiction. "I clarified this morning with the BLO if we need to attend the hearing, as the EC had issued a notification stating that those whose names are on the SIR 2002 list but not on the BLO App won't need to appear," he said. "But the BLO asked us to attend it. What is the meaning of EC issuing a notification? There is no coordination between EC and those on the field."
The Harrowing On-Ground Experience
The family's ordeal did not end with the confusion. Upon reaching the venue around noon, they were subjected to a long, physically taxing wait. "We reached the venue around noon and the process ended around 2.30 pm, though the entire verification process lasted barely a minute," Chandra recounted.
He expressed frustration over the treatment of senior citizens. "We are senior citizens and we had to stand for over two hours at a stretch. I am in doubt if our names will be there in the final list. We don't even know if we need to apply for a fresh Form 6. The EC's role is disgusting."
Financial and Professional Fallout
The hearing had significant financial and professional consequences for the Chandra family. The summons forced Pranojjal, their younger son who works in Surat, to take an emergency flight to Kolkata. "He spent over Rs 20,000 on tickets," said Chandra, demanding compensation from the EC. "Why should he be summoned to appear when we have our names in SIR 2002?"
The family's elder son, Kushal, an IT entrepreneur, also had to miss a day of work to attend the proceedings, compounding the disruption.
Chandra explained the historical context of their voter registration. He and his wife had provided data stating their names were listed as voters of the Kabitirtha constituency in the SIR 2002. Following delimitation, the Kabitirtha constituency ceased to exist, and the area now falls under the Kolkata Port constituency. This administrative change seems to be at the root of the technical discrepancy that triggered the unnecessary hearing.
The incident raises serious questions about the synchronization of electoral databases and the effective communication of Election Commission guidelines to frontline officials, causing undue hardship to citizens.
