Bengal elections: EC to release second supplementary list by March 28
The revision followed the orders from the Supreme Court allowing appeals by excluded voters before a tribunal
The Election Commission (EC) is likely to publish the second supplementary list under the SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal by March 27-28, a senior official said.
"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.
Also read: First supplementary list out in Bengal, but no clarity on number of deleted voters
With around 36 lakh pending voter entries processed so far, the second supplementary list is set for release, an official at the CEO’s office said on Thursday (March 26). The issues that surfaced during the publication of the first supplementary list still persist, he added.
"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.
Voters await clarity
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.
Also read: Bengal voters left in limbo as EC portal 'goes down' on roll publication day
"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.
Roll revision concerns
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.
Also read: No eligible voter’s name to be removed; Bengal polls to be free, peaceful: CEC
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.