The Jalpaiguri district administration, which was making arrangements to ensure that Biswajit Barman, a “124-year-old voter” of Mainaguri block, could vote at home, were in for a surprise.
According to the directive of the Election Commission of India (EC), any voter aged 85 years or more, has the option to vote from home. From the EC, the administration received a list of 2,471 voters aged 85 years or more.
“They are free to walk up to the booths. However, if they want to vote sitting at home, they have to give an assent letter to the booth level officers (BLOs) so that the administration can make arrangements,” said a source in the administration.
Based on the list received from EC and the electoral roll, the administration asked the BLOs to visit the houses of aged voters with the instruction that if any of them opted to vote at home, he or she should give an assent letter.
When authorities saw Biswajit Barman of Netajinagar in Khagrabari I panchayat, Mainaguri block, aged 124 years, they were prepared to get an assent letter from him.
However, as the instruction reached Anil Mondal, the BLO of the booth in which Biswajit is a voter, Mondal said he knew that the “124-year-old voter” was actually a youth. “I told the administrative officials that Biswajit is not 124 years old but around 27-28 years old. There is an age error in his voter card. I have repeatedly told him so but he hasn’t yet rectified it,” said Mondal.
His family members, too, were surprised. Anjali, Biswajit’s sister-in-law, was amused to hear that his age was 124 years according to his voter ID card. “Biswajit will be 28 in July. We are relieved that the BLO knows it,” Anjali said.
Biswajit runs a furniture glass-making unit in Jalpaiguri and owns two showrooms, his family members said. Biswajit's secondary exam admit card shows that he was born on July 19, 1996.
Shama Parveen, the district magistrate and district election officer, said Biswajit should immediately get his age corrected.
Over the phone, Biswajit told this correspondent that he used to stay in Assam for a while earlier, but shifted to Mainaguri some years back.
“My voter card got transferred here from Assam. The card has my age wrong. Once the Lok Sabha elections are over, I will apply for a correction,” the youth said, adding that on April 19, Jalpaiguri's polling day, he would certainly go to his booth to vote.