Study Exposes Disproportionate Flagging of Muslim Voters in Kolkata Electoral Rolls
A recent analysis of the Election Commission's Summary Information Report (SIR) of electoral rolls has uncovered a concerning pattern in several politically significant assembly constituencies in Kolkata North. The study, conducted by the Sabar Institute, reveals that Muslim voters constitute a disproportionately large share of those flagged under the "logical discrepancy" (LD) category, significantly exceeding their population percentages in these areas.
Stark Disparities in Key Constituencies
The data highlights stark disparities across multiple constituencies. In Chowringhee, approximately 71.7% of voters flagged under the LD category are Muslims, despite the Muslim population share being around 40%. Similarly, in Entally, 72.3% of such voters are Muslims, compared to an estimated population share of 40% based on the 2011 census.
In Beleghata, about 67.8% of LD voters are Muslims, whereas the estimated Muslim population percentage is only 25%. The trend continues in Jorasanko and Cossipore-Belgachhia assembly constituencies, where around 56% of voters on the LD list are Muslims, despite their population share being approximately 20% according to the 2011 census.
Detailed Numerical Breakdown
The study provides specific figures to illustrate these disparities. In Chowringhee, out of 17,545 voters flagged under "logical discrepancy," 12,579 are Muslims. In Entally, 18,760 out of 25,957 voters whose enumeration forms were flagged under the LD category are Muslims.
A similar pattern emerges in Beleghata, where 15,387 out of 22,711 voters in the same category are from the minority community. At Jorasanko, 8,559 out of 15,307 voters under the 'logical discrepancy' category are Muslims.
Contrast with Other Categories
Researcher Ashin Chakraborty, who conducted the study along with Souptik Halder and Sabir Ahamed, noted a sharp contrast with other categories. "In Chowringhee, Muslims constitute 71.7% of those flagged under the logical discrepancy list, while only 35.9% of deletions in the 'absent, shifted, dead/duplicate' (ASD) list are Muslims," he explained.
"The deletions due to ASD broadly match the Muslim population share in Chowringhee, which is 40% as per the 2011 census. In Jorasanko, Muslims accounted for 22.4% of voters marked as ASD, which broadly matches the Muslim share of the population. As per the 2011 census, 20% of voters are Muslims in Jorasanko. But this changes sharply in the LD list, where 56% are Muslims."
Patterns Across Constituencies
Souptik Halder elaborated on the findings, stating, "In Beleghata and Entally, around 28% and 37% of voters marked as ASD, respectively, were Muslims, broadly matching the share of Muslim population of 25% and 40%, respectively. But the percentage of Muslims on the LD list in Entally (72.3%) and Beleghata (67.8%) is significantly higher than their population share."
"In Cossipore-Belgachhia, too, there is a disproportionately higher representation of Muslims on the LD list at 56% when the population share of Muslims as per the 2011 census is 20%. These disparities were not observed in earlier lists of unmapped and ASD where objective reasons for exclusion were shown."
Allegations of Targeting
Sabir Ahamed expressed serious concerns about the implications of these findings. "Careful analysis of the list clearly indicates that minorities are being targeted," he asserted. "Now they need to collect a wide range of papers, and hence it is like NRC in disguise."
The study's figures indicate a consistent pattern across all the examined assembly constituencies, where the percentage of Muslims on the 'logical discrepancy' list is significantly higher than their population share, raising questions about fairness and transparency in the electoral roll revision process.
