5 months ago
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A Trinamool Congress councillor connected Tuesday (December 16, 2025) walked into a crematorium adjacent Kolkata and demanded that his past rites beryllium performed, claiming that the Election Commission of India (ECI) listed him among the “dead” successful the draught electoral rolls.
A booth-wise database of the deceased and migrated voters was released up of West Bengal's draught electoral rolls earlier successful the day.
Surya Dey, the Trinamool councillor of Dankuni Municipality's Ward 18, said that portion checking the lists linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, helium claimed his sanction figured among the "dead", though helium had filled and submitted his enumeration signifier to the booth-level officer.
"Since the Commission has declared maine dead, it should implicit the process," Dey told reporters arsenic helium walked into Kalipur crematorium, flanked by supporters. "Let the officials travel and cremate me." He called this administrative absurdity with superior consequences.
"I americium an elected nationalist representative. If I tin beryllium shown dormant connected insubstantial portion I americium precise overmuch alive, ideate what tin hap to mean voters," helium said.
He held Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar liable for what helium termed a "conspiracy" down the deletion.
Mr. Dey asserted helium had complied with each procedural request nether the SIR, submitting forms and documents during the enumeration drive.
"Despite that, I person been struck off. This is not a clerical error; this is dangerous," helium alleged.
Also Read | ECI publishes draught electoral rolls successful Bengal; implicit 58 lakh names deleted nether SIR
The occurrence rapidly travelled from the crematorium to societal media.
TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty, successful a Facebook post, said, "Dankuni Municipality Ward 18 councillor Surya Dey, nonmigratory of Chanditala Assembly constituency. Serial fig 40, Booth fig 226. According to the elector database connected Tuesday, helium is dead. Is this SIR oregon a farce?”
The ECI has not responded to the circumstantial allegation.
The incidental comes connected a politically charged day, with the ECI connected Tuesday (December 16, 2025) publishing West Bengal's draught electoral rolls pursuing the Special Intensive Revision exercise, deleting implicit 58 lakh names connected grounds ranging from decease and migration to duplication and non-submission of enumeration forms.
According to authoritative data, 58,20,898 names were excluded, reducing the electorate from 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore aft the SIR process conducted betwixt November 4 and December 11.
The deletions person affected respective high-profile Assembly segments and sharpened governmental responsibility lines, mounting the signifier for the contentious verification and proceeding signifier up of authorities elections owed aboriginal adjacent year.
Standing astatine the crematorium, the TMC councillor underlined the constituent helium wanted to remember, adjacent if the rolls had erased him.
"I walked present myself," helium said. "I americium breathing, talking, protesting. If this is however voters are being treated, ideology itself is being taken to the pyre."
