Ever since the Special Intensive Revision began in West Bengal this month, Jairul Mandal has had only one thing on his mind: getting home in time to get his name on the voter list. A construction worker in Angamaly in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, the 28-year-old has been getting anxious calls from family asking when he plans to return.

But Mandal doesn’t have the money to travel. “The (enumeration) forms have already come and we’re afraid that if we don’t take part in the process, we’ll miss the vote,” he said.

It’s a fear shared among West Bengal migrants across India. As the electoral rolls revision gets underway in the state ahead of next year’s Assembly polls, migrant workers from West Bengal are scrambling to find documents and head back home in time for the enumeration. While there

See Full Page