SC-Mandated Tribunals Restore Voting Rights of 1,468 Voters in West Bengal Ahead of Phase 2 Polls

Kolkata: Supreme Court-mandated appellate tribunals hearing voter deletions during EC's SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal restored voting rights of 1,468 people before Wednesday's second phase of polls, taking total reinstatements across two rounds in the state to 1,607, officials said on Tuesday.

Deletions in second phase stood at six, pushing cumulative removals by tribunals to 14. The six whose names were removed can approach Calcutta HC or SC for relief, EC sources said.

Before the first leg on April 23, 139 people had their franchise restored. The 115:1 ratio of restorations to deletions has sharpened scrutiny of the exercise. SIR has cut Bengal's electorate from 7.6 crore to 6.82 crore.

Officials attributed many deletions to dead, absent or shifted voters across 294 seats. The roll revision disenfranchised 27 lakh people under the "logical discrepancy" clause - ranging from spelling errors to surname mismatches and atypical guardianship records during judicial adjudication.

"The tribunals included 1,468 voters who were deleted during the adjudication process and excluded six whom judicial officials had earlier included during adjudication. All 1,468 voters can cast their votes on Wednesday," Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal said.

EC sources said those whose rights were upheld have been informed. A public list carries electors' names, EPIC details, part and serial numbers, districts, assembly constituencies, and booth-level officers' contacts.

Kolkata South recorded the highest inclusions at 677, followed by Kolkata North with 596. Other additions were Howrah 77, Nadia 39, North 24 Parganas 34, South 24 Parganas 30, East Burdwan 8 and Hooghly 7.

After the latest inclusions, 142 constituencies voting on Wednesday will have over 3.2 crore electors, EC said.

The deletions had triggered more than 34 lakh appeals before 19 tribunals set up following a SC order.