Mir Jafar descendants-Syed Reza Ali Mirza with his son Syed Md Fayeem Mirza. (Express photo by Partha Paul)Sitting on a bed in his home in the historic Lalbag area of Murshidabad district in West Bengal, 82-year-old Syed Reza Ali Mirza points towards a wall of photographs of the erstwhile Nawabs of Bengal.Reza, known locally as “chote nawab”, and his son Syed Md Faheem Mirza, 42, are among many whose names have been deleted from the electoral rolls after the adjudication process, which was undertaken to address “logical discrepancies’ in the Election Commission (EC)’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the state.Reza and Faheem are the descendants of Mir Jafar, the commander-in-chief of Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah’s army, who went on to become the Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha after siding with the British in the 1757 Battle of Plassey.The “chote nawab” and his son and daughter-in-law are among more than 150 descendants of the 18th century Bengal Nawabs, residing in Lalbag, whose names have been omitted from the state’s voter list after adjudication. Lalbag falls in the Murshidabad Assembly constituency, which will vote in the first phase of the elections on April 23.“What can I say? I am shocked. My name, my son’s name and the name of my daughter-in-law were removed. But my wife’s name is on the list,” Reza says.“What is sad is that my last wish was to be buried along with my ancestors here. With my name deleted from the voter list, where will I go? Our ancestors, the Nawabs, have built parts of Murshidabad, including Lalbag. Main isi desh ki mitti mein dafan hona chahta hun (I want to be buried in the soil of this country),” Reza says. Mir Jafar descendants-Syed Reza Ali Mirza shows photographs of his ancestors at his Lalbag home in Murshidabad district. (Express photo by Partha Paul)He breaks into tears while speaking about the Jafarganj cemetery in Lalbag, which has had over 1,100 graves of his ancestors.Story continues below this adFaheem, who teaches at a local government school and is a Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor in the Murshidabad Municipality, says that the members of his family were summoned for hearings over the SIR in December.“My father and I both voted in 2002. We got notices during the SIR and went for a hearing in December at a local government college. We stood in a long queue. People showed us respect and wanted my father to be at the front. He refused. We submitted all the documents. While my father submitted all his papers, including him being a retired state government employee, I also submitted my documents, including the admit card of my (Class 10) examinations. But a few days back, when the supplementary electoral list came, we saw our names were deleted,” Faheem says.“Our family members reside in booth number 121 and 122. About 350 electors of these two booths, out of around 1,600 electors each, were deleted. Among them, around 150 electors are our relatives and family members who have been deleted after adjudication. Now, we are all looking up to the tribunals (to appeal the adjudication decision). However, they have yet to be set up,” Faheem says, adding that “Online tribunals have started, but they are not taking any documents, so we are not applying there and waiting for physical submission.”He also says: “After Independence, when Bengal was partitioned, one of our ancestors, Syed Feradun Jah got an offer to go to East Pakistan, but he decided to stay back in India. Now, being a descendant of that person, we are getting excluded from our basic right of voting,” Faheem adds.Story continues below this adThe SIR in Bengal concluded on February 28, with the final voters’ list seeing over 63 lakh deletions or 9% of the total electorate and over 60 lakh voters (8.5%) being placed “under adjudication”.Judicial officers appointed by the Supreme Court have been reviewing the eligibility of the electors listed under adjudication. The highest number of cases pending adjudication were in the Muslim-dominated Murshidabad district (11 lakh), followed by Malda (8.28 lakh), South 24 Parganas (5.22 lakh) and North 24 Parganas (5 lakh). Jhargram and Kalimpong had the fewest pending cases at 6,682 and 6,790 cases, respectively.According to EC sources, about 40 lakh of the cases under adjudication have been disposed of so far, of which around 16 lakh names have been deleted.Ravik Bhattacharya is a highly experienced and award-winning journalist currently serving as the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, Ravik possesses deep expertise across a wide range of critical subjects and geographical areas. Experience & Authority Current Role: Chief of Bureau, The Indian Express, Kolkata. Expertise: Extensive reporting across West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, and the Andaman Nicobar Islands. Ravik specializes in politics, crime, major incidents and issues, and investigative stories, demonstrating a robust command of complex and sensitive subjects. Experience: His long and distinguished career includes key reporting roles at several prestigious publications, including The Asian Age, The Statesman, The Telegraph, and The Hindustan Times. Ravik's current role marks his second stint with The Indian Express, having previously served as a Principal Correspondent in the Kolkata bureau from 2005 to 2010. Major Award: Ravik's authority and quality of work are substantiated by his winning of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for Political Reporting. Education: His strong academic foundation includes a Bachelor's degree with English Honours from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University, and a PG Diploma in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik Bhattacharya's extensive tenure, specialized beat coverage, and notable award confirm his status as a trusted and authoritative voice in Indian journalism, particularly for stories emanating from Eastern India. ... Read MoreAtri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting. His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain. Experience Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express. Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news. Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions. Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal. Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla. Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent. Education Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting. Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India. ... Read More © The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:West Bengal Assembly elections