Indian star pacer Mohammed Shami and his brother, Mohammed Kaif, have been summoned by election officials in Kolkata for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) verification hearing. The move comes after discrepancies were identified in their voter enumeration forms.
Rescheduled Due to Cricket Commitments
The hearing was originally scheduled for Monday, January 5, at a school in the Jadavpur area. However, the 35-year-old cricketer could not attend as he is currently in Rajkot, representing Bengal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Following a formal request from Shami for an extension, the Election Commission has rescheduled the hearing. He is now expected to appear before the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) between January 9 and 11, 2026.
Reason for the Summons
According to officials from the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office, the summons was triggered by technical errors.
“The Enumeration Form was incorrectly filled out by the cricketer and his brother. Complications related to ‘progeny mapping’ and ‘self-mapping’ required a physical hearing for verification,” an official stated.
Background
- Voter Status: Shami is a registered voter in Ward 93 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, which falls under the Rashbehari Assembly constituency.
- Kolkata Connection: Although originally from Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, Shami moved to Kolkata in 2005 to pursue his cricket career. Under the mentorship of former Bengal captain Sambaran Bandyopadhyay, he rose through the ranks of Bengal cricket to eventually lead the Indian pace attack.
Shami has been in sensational form in domestic cricket, recently picking up 11 wickets in five matches for Bengal in the ongoing tournament, as he eyes a comeback to the national white-ball squad.