As names vanish from rolls, election in Murshidabad turns into battle for identity, right to vote

SAMSERGANJ (WB): (Apr 15) Loudspeaker vans roam through the streets, blaring out usual promises -- jobs, roads and houses. But in a mud house in Murshidabad district's Pratapganj village, this election is all about identity and protecting the basic democratic right to vote.

Sitting on a charpoy outside the house, Naushad Ali runs his finger across the revised electoral roll again and again. His name is there, so is his wife's. What is missing from the list is his son Raju, who works at a hotel in Kerala.

The 60-year-old farmer pointed out that his son had voted in the 2024 general elections before leaving for Kochi.