Kamal Ghorui
Court-mandated appellate tribunals cleared 55 nuns of Missionaries of Charity for inclusion in Bengal’s electoral rolls, reversing earlier deletions after appeals to EC. “They will vote Wednesday. We had help from RS MP Derek O’Brien… We are also grateful to EC,” a sister at Mother House said Tuesday.More than 120 sisters, all voters in Chowringhee, were called for hearings as many were not mapped to previous SIR rolls or could not show linkages. “Nuns provided passport, PAN, Aadhaar, church certificates. Many lacked parents’ documents or birth certificates, making linkage difficult. Names also change after embracing sisterhood,” an official said, underscoring documentation hurdles.Sources said some sisters listed their fathers, while others named Saint Teresa or Sister Nirmala as parent in forms, reflecting spiritual ties. Several names were restored in the Feb 28 list. Others were deleted without cited reasons before fresh appeals led to inclusion.
