Berhampore: In Murshidabad, where memories of Bengal’s Nawabi past still survive in old buildings and family lineages, a present-day administrative exercise has brought descendants of Mir Jafar into public discussion.
During the recent Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal, names of 286 members belonging to the extended family of Mir Jafar were removed citing record discrepancies.
Among them is Syed Reja Ali Mirza, known locally as Chhote Nawab, along with his son Syed Fahim Mirza and several other relatives from later generations of the family. Some members of the family are also active in local civic life.
Family members say they attended the verification process and submitted documents during the hearings. Despite this, their names appeared in the supplementary deletion list issued after the revision exercise.
Reja Ali Mirza said he had been a voter for many years and his name had appeared in earlier electoral rolls. The family now plans to pursue the available appeal process to seek restoration of the names.
The issue has also drawn political reactions in the constituency. A Trinamool Congress representative said the matter would be taken up legally. A BJP leader said the revision process is conducted by the Election Commission and should be seen as an administrative exercise.
Murshidabad still carries traces of its historical past, but families connected to that legacy today live like any other residents, participating in civic and electoral processes.
Electoral roll revision is a routine exercise carried out before elections to verify entries and remove errors. Individuals whose names are removed are allowed to apply again through the prescribed process.
For the Mirza family, the issue is now less about history and more about documentation and procedure. The final outcome will depend on the appeal process now available to them
