After notices and hearings, most celebs secure place on final roll

Kolkata/Santiniketan: The names of Amartya Sen, Joy Goswami (pic left), Chandra Bose, Dev (below left), Mimi Chakraborty — all of whom were summoned for SIR hearings — have appeared on the final voter list that was published on Saturday.On Jan 7, Sen was served a notice by the ECI for a hearing due to a discrepancy in the age difference between Amartya Sen and his mother, Amita Sen. The notice stated that there was less than a 15-year age difference between Amartya Kumar Sen and his mother. However, the actual age difference between him and his mother is 19.5 years. Gitikantha Mazumder, who looks after the official matters for Sen in Santiniketan, said: "It is a great relief that finally his name is included. We express our thanks to ECI officials who immediately took steps to resolve the complication."
Goswami approached the Supreme Court, highlighting the need to revise the current process in which SIR was conducted. The Sahitya Akademi winner said the process created an "atmosphere of fear", with many elderly people having to stand in queues and some even dying from anxiety. The poet was not in a position to personally attend the hearing in Jan. His daughter, Bukun, who coordinated the effort, told TOI that Goswami's name is on the list. "Both my parents' names and my name are there. This is a relief for us. One can't ignore what we did to ensure the names were there. There is too much harassment that the current process is throwing up," she said.Bose's name also figured on the list. "Most of us who could provide all relevant documents are included in the final SIR list 2026. But many genuine voters who could not provide the documents are left out of the list," Bose said, adding that SIR was an essential exercise that must be conducted at regular intervals. "However, the way it was done in Bengal unnecessarily and seriously inconvenienced voters. Linkage issues and logical discrepancies occurred mostly due to haphazard data entry. In a nation where politicians and ministers are not able to provide documents stating their basic qualifications, how can one expect the underprivileged to provide documents to prove their voting rights?" Bose asked.Tollywood star-turned-MP Dev was summoned for a hearing on Jan 14. "My name features on the list." Actor and former MP Chakraborty also told TOI that her name was on the list. "My full family's names are there. My sister was also called for a hearing. Her name is also there," Chakraborty said.