West Bengal Voter List Review Sparks Debate as Only 137 Approved to Vote After Thousands of Appeals
Out of millions of appeals, only a handful of voters regain voting rights ahead of crucial state polls
A major development has emerged in West Bengal regarding the Special Intensive Revision process of the voter list, raising fresh concerns about electoral fairness and transparency.
According to recent reports, more than 2.7 million people filed appeals after their names were either removed or marked ineligible in the voter list. However, tribunals have so far approved only about 500 cases. Out of these, just 137 individuals have been added to the supplementary voter list and will be allowed to cast their votes in the upcoming polling phases.
The issue has drawn attention from both political and legal circles, especially as state elections approach. Many affected individuals had turned to tribunals in hopes of restoring their voting rights, but the low number of approvals has triggered questions about the process.
The Supreme Court recently stepped in and ruled that individuals whose appeals are accepted by tribunals should be allowed to vote on April 23 and April 29. The court used its special constitutional powers to ensure that eligible citizens are not denied their right to vote.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee welcomed the court’s decision, calling it a positive step for democracy. Voting in West Bengal will take place in two phases, with 152 seats going to polls on April 23 and 142 seats on April 29.
Before the revision process began, the state had over 76.6 million registered voters. A preliminary list released on February 28 saw around 6.36 million names removed, while more than 6 million were kept under scrutiny.
Later, about 2.7 million individuals were declared ineligible, while nearly 3.26 million were cleared and reinstated in the voter list. This brought the total number of voters down to approximately 67.7 million.
Ahead of the first phase of polling, around 700,000 new voters were added, increasing the total electorate to over 68.2 million. Of these, about 322,000 voters will participate in the first phase, while the remaining 388,000 will vote in the second phase.
The voter list revision has sparked widespread debate about the speed and effectiveness of the process. With millions of appeals and only a small number of approvals so far, concerns continue to grow over whether all eligible voters will get a fair chance to participate in the elections.