Massive discrepancies have surfaced in the 2002 voter list in Mayapur, West Bengal, where many devotees of ISKCON cast their votes at the Sri Sri Thakur Bhaktivinod Lower Primary School in the Nabadwip Assembly constituency. The anomaly involved the names of parents being replaced with the names of their spiritual gurus.
Sharadwati Chowdhury, the Sub-Divisional Officer, clarified that a parent’s name must always be mentioned in the voter list. “No new entries can be made using the name of a spiritual master. Whatever was recorded in previous identity documents must be reflected consistently. Only the block election roll officer can confirm whether these names were corrected in the current voter list,” she said.
However, Manish Gupta, Block Development Officer of Nabadwip, explained that monks and devotees from various monasteries sometimes have identity documents listing their spiritual gurus as guardians. “Many renounce worldly life after taking monastic vows and choose their spiritual guru as their guardian. In such cases, identity documents are created using the spiritual father’s name. Later, some may apply for documents using their biological parent’s name, which can create discrepancies,” Gupta added.
He further emphasized that it is impossible to determine their current legal status without reviewing the latest identity documents. Similar cases have been reported in the past where initial identity documents bore the name of a spiritual guru, and subsequent documents reflected the individual’s or parent’s name.
Election authorities in Mayapur are now reviewing the voter list to ensure compliance with official norms and avoid future discrepancies.
