The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Election Commission of India following a plea by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee challenging the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the state. Banerjee alleges significant disenfranchisement of genuine voters during this process. The bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, has asked for the poll body’s response and scheduled further hearings for Monday.
Banerjee’s plea requests urgent interim directions to prevent the ECI from removing any voter’s name during the revision, especially those categorized under “logical discrepancy.” Senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing Banerjee, argues that the revision is rushed, with only a few days left before the final publication of electoral rolls on February 14.
Around 32 lakh voters are reported as “unmapped,” and over 1.36 crore voters are listed under logical discrepancies. Divan highlights that numerous notices have been sent due to minor spelling errors in names, particularly when Bengali names are transliterated into English. The CJI-led Bench notes that variations in spelling due to local dialects are common nationwide and should not be a reason to exclude genuine voters.
