15 hrs ago
Voter Roll Deletion Leaves Bengal Worker Without Free Ration
Daud Ali Jamadar is a poor worker in West Bengal who has a serious lung illness.
His name was removed from the updated voter list because officials found a difference in his surname on older and newer documents.
After that, his ration card was marked as deactivated.
The card gave his family rice and wheat every month for free.
Jamadar says local officials told him he could not receive the food until his name returned to the voter list.
He has already appealed the deletion but has not yet received a hearing.
The state government says people who appeal should continue receiving ration benefits.
Jamadar plans to join a rally with other people whose names were removed from the voter list.
Daud Ali Jamadar, 56, says his ration card was deactivated after his name was deleted from Bengal’s revised electoral rolls.
Jamadar suffers from silicosis and relies on irregular daily-wage work while supporting his family on less than ₹7,000 a month.
His ration card provided two kilograms of rice and three kilograms of wheat each month.
The state ordered ration cards linked to 63 lakh deleted voters to be deactivated, while exempting people whose appeals or citizenship applications remain pending.
A Food and Supplies Department official said appellants should continue receiving benefits, but Jamadar says local officials denied him ration pending restoration of his voter registration.
- Who
- Daud Ali Jamadar, a 56-year-old daily-wage worker, and other voters removed from West Bengal’s revised electoral rolls.
- What
- Jamadar’s ration card was deactivated after his voter registration was deleted, cutting off his monthly foodgrain entitlement.
- Where
- Jamadar lives in Goaldhara village in Minakhan, North 24-Parganas, West Bengal, and planned to attend a rally in Calcutta.
- When
- His name was removed in April, and the ration-card status showed deactivation on June 10, 2026; a rally was planned for Wednesday.
- Why
- Officials linked ration-card deactivation to voter-list deletions; Jamadar’s exclusion arose from a surname mismatch between the 2002 and 2025 electoral rolls.
Affected Voters and Activists
State Government Position
Continuation of ration benefits
Affected Voters and Activists
Jamadar and activist Kushal Debnath say people removed from the voter rolls are being denied or threatened with the loss of welfare benefits, despite pending appeals.
State Government Position
A senior Food and Supplies Department official said anyone who has appealed against exclusion should continue receiving public-distribution benefits until the case is decided.
Implementation on the ground
Affected Voters and Activists
Jamadar says local and sub-divisional officials told him he would not receive free ration until his voter-list name was restored and repeatedly asked him to return later.
State Government Position
The department said affected people should contact local officials, use the grievance portal, or visit its head office with relevant documents if benefits are stopped.
Reason for voter deletion
Affected Voters and Activists
Jamadar says his exclusion resulted from an unexplained surname mismatch: the 2002 roll listed him as Daud Ali Molla, while later rolls and his documents list Daud Ali Jamadar.
State Government Position
The state’s revision process is intended to identify ineligible and ghost beneficiaries, including people marked dead, duplicate, shifted, absent, or otherwise deleted.
Key facts
- Affected person
- Daud Ali Jamadar, 56, from Goaldhara village in Minakhan.
- Health and livelihood
- Jamadar has silicosis and earns irregularly through daily-wage work and occasional vegetable sales.
- Monthly entitlement
- His ration card provided two kilograms of rice and three kilograms of wheat.
- Family income
- His family survives on less than ₹7,000 per month.
- Electoral-roll deletions
- The state order covered 63 lakh people deleted during or before the special intensive revision.
- Appeal status
- Jamadar filed an online appeal and received an acknowledgement and unique appeal number, but has not yet been called for a hearing.
- Government position
- The Food and Supplies Department said ration benefits should continue for deleted voters who have appealed to a tribunal.
Quotes
Daud Ali Jamadar
A 56-year-old daily wage worker from North 24-Parganas whose voter registration and ration benefits were removed.
“I don’t know how much it will help. But I know that sitting at home will mean nothing. If we (deleted voters) can show strength in numbers, maybe someone will notice.”
telegraphindia.com
“On the ground, the reality is different. Many deleted voters are being threatened with discontinuation of welfare schemes and other government doles.”
telegraphindia.com
A senior official of Bengal’s food and supplies department
An unnamed senior state food and supplies department official.
“Any deleted voter who has appealed against his exclusion to the tribunal should continue getting the benefits of the public distribution system.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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