The Supreme Court has directed that voters in West Bengal who establish their eligibility in appeals must be permitted to vote, even if the decision comes close to polling day.
West Bengal is set to hold Assembly elections in two phases on April 23 and April 29 across 294 constituencies. During the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, about 91 lakh names were removed, and around 34 lakh people have filed appeals seeking restoration.
With the first phase nearing, the Election Commission has frozen the electoral roll, raising concerns that appellants would be unable to vote in this election. The affected voters approached the Supreme Court seeking an extension of the timeline for inclusion, so that those found eligible could vote in the ongoing election.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Suryakant and Justice Jai Malya Bhakshi invoked the court’s special powers under Article 142 and ordered that a supplementary voter list be published by adding names of those found eligible on appeal up to two days before each polling date.
As per the order, voters confirmed as eligible by tribunals by April 21 can vote in the first phase, while those confirmed by April 27 can vote in the second phase.
