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The booth-wise list of dead and displaced voters was released the day before the draft electoral roll of West Bengal.
Surya Dey, TMC councilor of Ward 18 of Dankuni Municipality, said that while checking the lists linked to the Special Intensive Receipt (SIR) exercise, he claimed that his name was included among the “deceased”, although he had filled his enumeration form and submitted it to the booth level officer.
“Since the commission has declared me dead, it should complete the process,” Dey told reporters as he entered the Kalipur crematorium with supporters. “Let the authorities come and cremate me.” He called it an administrative absurdity with serious consequences.
He said, “I am an elected public representative. If I can be shown dead on paper even though I am alive, then imagine what can happen to the common voters.”
He held Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar responsible for what he termed a “conspiracy” behind the removal of names.
Dey claimed that he had complied with every procedural requirement under the SIR while submitting forms and documents during the enumeration drive.
“Despite this, I have been removed. This is not a clerical error, this is dangerous,” he alleged.
This episode quickly reached from the crematorium to social media.
TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty said in a Facebook post, “Dankuni Municipality Ward 18 councilor Surya Dey is a resident of Chanditala Assembly constituency. Sl. No. 40, Booth No. 226. As per the voter list on Tuesday, he is dead. Is this a SIR or a farce?” The Election Commission has not responded to the specific allegations.
The incident comes on a politically tense day after the Election Commission on Tuesday published the draft of West Bengal’s voter list after a particularly intensive vetting exercise in which over 58 lakh names were removed on grounds ranging from death and migration to duplication and non-submission of enumeration forms.
According to official data, 58,20,898 names were excluded after the SIR process conducted between November 4 and December 11, reducing the number of voters from 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore.
The deletion has affected several high-profile assembly constituencies and sharpened political fault lines, setting the stage for a contentious verification and hearing phase ahead of state elections early next year.
Standing at the cremation ground, the TMC councilor underlined the point he wanted to remember even if the roll had erased it.
“I have come here myself,” he said. “I am breathing, talking, protesting. If voters are being treated like this, then democracy itself is being taken to the pyre.”