The Voter Purge Conflict: Yusuf Pathan Slams ‘Massive Deletions’ in South 24 Parganas

SOUTH 24 PARGANAS: TMC leader and candidate Yusuf Pathan launched a blistering attack on the Election Commission today, labeling the recent deletion of voter names as a “targeted disenfranchisement” of the rural poor. Addressing a large rally in the Canning area, Pathan highlighted that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Phase II has resulted in a nearly 10% reduction in voters in specific booths within South 24 Parganas—a district known to be a TMC stronghold.

Pathan, who has been campaigning heavily on issues of social justice and local identity, argued that the deletion of over 27 lakh names statewide is not just an administrative error but a political strategy. “These are genuine citizens who have lived here for generations. To remove their names just weeks before the poll is a murder of democracy,” he said. He further emphasized that the TMC would provide legal aid to every voter who had their name wrongly struck off the rolls.

The Election Commission has defended the SIR exercise as a necessary “cleaning” of the rolls to remove duplicate and deceased voters. However, the sheer volume of deletions has turned into a major campaign theme. Pathan’s rhetoric today indicates that the TMC will use the “voter exclusion” narrative to consolidate its support base, painting the BJP and the EC as “outsiders” attempting to manipulate the electoral outcome through bureaucratic means.