EC summons cricketer Mohammed Shami, brother over SIR discrepancies

New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) has summoned fast bowler Mohammed Shami and his brother Mohammed Kaif for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing in Kolkata citing discrepancies in their voter enumeration forms, Siasat.com reported.

Initially scheduled on January 5, the hearing before the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) has been rescheduled between January 9 and 11 after Shami informed the poll body about his participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Rajkot.

In his letter to the poll body, Shami stated that ‘I would like to respectfully inform you that due to my current participation in domestic cricket matches, wherein I am officially representing the Bengal state team, I shall be unable to attend the scheduled hearing on the mentioned date and time’.

It is reported citing EC sources that notices were issued to Mohammed Shami and his brother Mohammed Kaif due to complications in their enumeration forms regarding discrepancies in progeny mapping and self-mapping, which help linking voters with previous electoral rolls.

Born in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, the Indian cricketer who is a permanent resident of Kolkata for several years has enrolled as a voter in Kolkata Municipal Corporation ward no 93 under the Rashbehari Assembly constituency.

The summons for the cricketer and his brother comes amid controversy in West Bengal over the SIR process with chief minister Mamata Banerjee raising concern in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over ‘procedural lapses and alleged violations of due process’.

Over 58 lakh names have been deleted from the SIR draft rolls published in December just as the final voter list is to be out on February 14.