ERO includes AN’s name in electoral rolls

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 20 OCT: The electoral registration officer (ERO) in Malda today included the name of Mr AN Khan Choudhury, the proposed Congress candidate for the Sujapur bypolls, in the voters’ list after conducting an uninterrupted hearing today.

After the ERO announced his final verdict on whether Mr Khan Choudhury’s name would be considered in the voters’ list or not, the latter said that he would file his nomination as a Congress candidate tomorrow.

While the symbol that had been allotted to Mr Khan Choudhury was for the Sujapur by-election, Mr Pradip Bhattacharya, the working president of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, has already sent the letter of symbol allotment to the Congress leaders in Malda. Earlier, the Congress leadership had mentioned Mr Hamidur Rahman's name as the authorised “alternative” candidate for the allotment of party symbol if in case Mr Khan Choudhury's nomination was cancelled during scrutiny.

“We have already received the party symbol on Mr AN Khan Choudhury's name”, said Mr Masidur Rahman, vice-president of Malda district Congress committee.

A section of Congress leaders were apprehensive that the CPI-M might launch a protest against the acceptance of Mr Khan Choudhury's nomination during the scrutiny that would be held on 24 October.

But now with the approval of Mr Khan Choudhury's appeal, his followers are happy with the AICC.

“The party had to announce the name of Mr Hamidur Rahman as the “second candidate” as it was apprehending certain difficulties that might arise due to Mr Khan Choudhury’s citizenship issue Mr Khan Choudhury, who is the brother of South Malda MP Mr AH Khan Choudhury, could not contest the parliamentary election from North Malda over the controversial issue of his citizenship.

Finally he got Indian citizenship proof in August this year after receiving a clearance from the Swiss government.

Today, the CPI-M’s nominated candidate, Mr Esaruddin Mandal, filed his nomination papers in front of the Malda election officials to contest the Sujapur bypolls.

Some CPI-M leaders including the district secretary Mr Jiban Moitra said: “How can the election commission include Mr Khan Choudhury’s name based on a fresh application? A person needs to reside for at least six months in a constituency to have his name included in the voters’ list. But Mr Khan Choudhury had submitted an application to the election authorities claiming that he was a permanent resident of New Delhi and he had also urged for the deletion of his name from the electoral rolls in Malda a few days back”.