KOLKATA: The family of renowned painter Nandalal Bose’s grandson faced significant challenges while attempting to vote in Santiniketan on Thursday. Suprabuddha Sen (88) and his wife Deepa Sen (82) initially encountered obstacles despite a tribunal clearing their names following intervention from the Supreme Court. These hurdles illustrate the difficulties that many citizens faced in exercising their voting rights.
The couple was initially turned away from the voting booth, where officials insisted they required a written order from the Birbhum district magistrate to cast their votes. After a series of attempts throughout the day, the elderly pair finally received assistance and were escorted to the booth around 4 PM after the issue was escalated to the district magistrate’s office.
Their voting ordeal began when Deepa visited the booth at Visva Bharati Staff Club in the morning. She explained to the Booth Level Officer (BLO) that their names were included on the supplementary list published the previous day, but was informed that only names on the official list could be allowed to vote.
At approximately 10:20 AM, both Suprabuddha and Deepa returned to the polling place with all necessary documentation. However, according to Suprabuddha, a senior police officer informed them that they needed to obtain a written order from the district magistrate before they could proceed with voting.
Their daughter, Esha Dutta, took action by contacting the DM’s office through an acquaintance, leading to a swift resolution. By late afternoon, a convoy arrived at their residence, allowing them to finally cast their votes at 4 PM.
