The Election Commission of India has issued an appearance notice to Chandra Kumar Bose, the grand nephew of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, calling him to appear for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing. Given his lineage and public standing, the notice has drawn considerable attention and placed the matter in the public domain.
This comes after the Election Commission also issued such notices to several other eminent personalities, including Tajmul Hossain, Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Textiles of West Bengal, and former West Bengal Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakroborty.
Clarifying the circumstances behind the summon of Chandra Kumar Bose, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, stated that the notice was issued strictly in accordance with established electoral procedures. Explaining the reason for calling Chandra Kumar Bose for a hearing, the CEO’s office said:
“The claim is misleading. The enumeration form clearly shows that the linkage column is left blank. He has, therefore, been called for a hearing like all the other similarly placed electors as per the notification of ECI.”
Earlier, similar political controversies had arisen over hearing notices sent to actor-turned-politician and Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member Dipak Adhikari, popularly known as Dev; former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP and former Mohun Bagan football club president Swapan Sadhan Bose, widely known as Tutu Bose; his son Srinjoy Bose, also a former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP and currently the general secretary of the iconic Kolkata football club; and Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami.
Responding to these developments, sources in the CEO’s office maintained that the process had been uniformly applied in all cases:
“In all these cases, too, the hearting notices were sent because enumeration forms clearly showed that the linkage columns were left blank. In each of these cases, the CEO’s office had to issue clarification notices. Had the persons concerned checked with the voters concerned on why they were served with hearing notices, such controversies would not have arisen.”
The deadline for filing claims and objections to the draft voters’ list expires on Monday, while SIR hearing sessions will continue until February 7. Thereafter, the full bench of the Election Commission is scheduled to visit West Bengal, following which the ECI is expected to announce the polling dates for the forthcoming West Bengal Assembly elections.
