Mohammed Shami (ANI image)
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has asked Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami to appear in Kolkata for a hearing under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The hearing has now been rescheduled after Shami cited professional commitments.Shami was originally called to appear on Monday at a school in Jadavpur along with his brother Mohammed Kaif for voter verification. However, the pacer could not attend as he is currently in Rajkot, representing Bengal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Following his request, the Election Commission agreed to give fresh dates and the hearing will now be held between January 9 and 11.Officials said Shami is a registered voter of Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s Ward 93, which falls under the Rashbehari constituency. According to the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer’s office, the hearing was required after discrepancies were found in the Enumeration Form submitted by Shami and his brother.“The Enumeration Form was incorrectly filled out by the cricketer and his brother, because of which they were called for the hearing,” an official said.Though originally from Uttar Pradesh, Shami has lived in Kolkata for several years due to his cricketing career. He moved to the city at a young age, trained under former Bengal Ranji captain Sambaran Bandyopadhyay and later earned a place in Bengal’s under-22 team.The development comes amid the Special Intensive Revision exercise in West Bengal, which has seen several celebrities being issued hearing notices, placing them on the same footing as ordinary voters. Apart from Shami, actor and Trinamool Congress MP Dev and actor couple Laboni Sarkar and Kaushik Bandyopadhyay, have also been called or identified during the process.Election officials said the SIR exercise is aimed at correcting voter records and ensuring accuracy. All voters, including public figures are required to comply with the verification process.
