Second Bengal supplementary voter list likely by March 27–28: EC

Kolkata: The second supplementary list under the SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal is likely to be published by March 27-28, a senior Election Commission official said.

Around 36 lakh voter entries from the pending list have been disposed of so far, forming the basis for the release of the second supplementary list, the official at the CEO’s office said on Thursday, March 26.

“By Friday or Saturday evening, the second supplementary list may be released,” he said, adding that the process depends on the resolution of remaining entries received from various booths.

The issues that surfaced during the publication of the first supplementary list still persist, he said.

“Lists that have been e-signed by courts have been uploaded. In some cases, there could be technical problems or glitches. Data from several booths is yet to be received,” he said.

The revision process is being carried out in compliance with directions from the Supreme Court, which had ruled that voters whose names are excluded from the rolls must be allowed to appeal before a tribunal.

However, uncertainty remains over the operationalisation of these tribunals.

“No final decision has been taken so far regarding when and where the tribunals will begin functioning,” the official said, adding that the state government had proposed four locations, while the Calcutta High Court suggested the Judicial Academy in New Town as a possible venue.

The delay in setting up the tribunals has raised concerns among stakeholders, as affected voters await clarity on the mechanism to challenge exclusions from the electoral rolls.

The poll panel had released the first supplementary list of ‘Under Adjudication’ voters on Monday, but remained tight-lipped on the number of deletions or the precise figure of cases disposed of on that list, drawing criticism from various quarters.

A total of 58 lakh names were deleted following the enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision exercise, slashing the state’s eligible electors from the initial 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore on grounds of death, migration, duplication and untraceability.

The post-SIR rolls published on February 28 further reduced the number of valid voters to just over 7.04 crore, including over 60 lakh names under judicial scrutiny.