The Election Commission of India (ECI) has informed that the second supplementary list for judicial adjudication cases in West Bengal will be released on Friday. By Thursday night, around 60% of the 60 lakh cases referred for judicial adjudication had been processed, totaling 36 lakh voters. The Chief Electoral Officer’s office sources mentioned that the second list might be available on the ECI’s website first, possibly around midnight, similar to the first supplementary list published on March 23.
The exact timing for the release of the second supplementary list on the ECI’s website and subsequently on the CEO’s office website is yet to be specified. It remains unclear whether this list will include names cleared up to Thursday night or will also encompass those processed until Friday evening. Following the publication of the final voters’ list in West Bengal on February 28, supplementary lists are being released based on the progress of judicial adjudication.
In case names are excluded during the adjudication process, affected voters can seek recourse by approaching any of the 19 Appellate Tribunals established for this purpose. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has assured legal support from Trinamool Congress for individuals whose names are removed during judicial adjudication, including arranging counsel for their assistance.
Before the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) notification was issued for West Bengal in November last year, the state had a total of 7,66,37,529 voters. Notably, significant deletions were made in the draft voters’ list published in December and the final list on February 28, with the deletion figure rising to 63,66,952. Following the first supplementary list release on March 23, reports indicated a surge in the number of deleted voters to approximately 77 lakh.
Meanwhile, the ECI announced the replacement of 14 additional returning officers for 14 Assembly constituencies across nine districts in the state, adding to the 73 officers replaced earlier in the week. The upcoming two-phase Assembly election in West Bengal is set for April 23 and April 29, with polling scheduled for 152 and 142 Assembly seats in the first and second phases, respectively. The election results are expected to be declared on May 4.
