The name of Indian women’s cricketer Richa Ghosh has been placed in the ‘under adjudication’ category in West Bengal’s final electoral rolls published after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The development came to light on Saturday after the Election Commission of India released the updated voters’ list, classifying electors into three categories: ‘approved,’ ‘deleted,’ and ‘under adjudication.’
According to official data, 60,06,675 names fall under the ‘under adjudication’ category, where documents are yet to be verified and settled.
Ghosh, a resident of Ward No. 19 under the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, has represented India at the highest level and is a World Cup winner. The West Bengal government had conferred upon her the Banga Bhushan, and she was also appointed a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the state police. Despite these recognitions, her name remains under scrutiny in the electoral list.
Her father, Manabendra Ghosh, said a notice was issued during the SIR process as she spends most of the year outside the state or country due to cricket commitments.
“We submitted all required documents online after receiving the notice, but the issue has not been resolved,” he said.
Notably, her sister Somashree Ghosh’s name has also been placed in the same category.
The issue has sparked political reactions. Ward 19 councillor and Left Front leader Moushumi Hazra visited Ghosh’s residence and termed the situation “shameful”.
Siliguri Mayor and senior All India Trinamool Congress leader Goutam Deb criticised the Election Commission, stating that Ghosh is “the pride of Siliguri and India”.
Meanwhile, state minister and Harishchandrapur MLA Tajmul Hossain’s name has also been listed under the ‘under adjudication’ category. He claimed to have submitted all documents after receiving a notice dated January 18.
In a separate case, the name of Jharna Mandal Barman, a Trinamool panchayat member from Jalpaiguri district, was deleted from the final voters’ list following earlier objections raised by the Bharatiya Janata Party during the SIR process.
The developments have triggered a political row in the state over the handling of the voter verification drive.