Kolkata, 23 May

The Election Commission (EC) has started an investigation into a complaint alleging that the wife of BJP’s West Bengal president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar possesses two voter identity cards, a senior official said on Friday.

Initial probe found that the minister’s wife, Koel Majumdar, holds two voter ID cards with different EPIC numbers — one registered in Balurghat and another in Jalpaiguri.

While one card was issued under her maiden name, Koel Chowdhury, the second was created after her marriage under the name Koel Majumdar.

"This could have been avoided had she submitted Form 18. It is the responsibility of the cardholder to notify the EC of any changes. In this case, the commission was not informed," the official said.

He further explained that a new voter card was issued in Balurghat after she submitted Form 6.

"Because the EPIC numbers and surnames were different, the error was not immediately detected. We are now verifying the photographs and other personal details to confirm the identity," he added.

State's Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal has asked the district magistrates of Jalpaiguri and Dakshin Dinajpur to file a report on the matter as quickly as possible, EC sources said.