West Bengal polls: 1,468 voters get SC tribunal clearance for second phase voting

On April 16, SC invoked Article 142, directing the ECI to ensure voters who are cleared by the appellate tribunals be included in the electoral rolls

The Supreme Court-mandated appellate tribunals on Tuesday cleared names of 1468 voters to be included in the electoral roll ahead of the second phase of the West Bengal assembly polls on Wednesday.

People, whose names were deleted from voters' lists in the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in poll-bound West Bengal, queue up to present their cases before judicial officers, ahead of the state Assembly elections, at Krishnanagar. (PTI)

“Names of 1468 voters, which were earlier deleted from the electoral roll by judicial officers after the adjudication process, have been cleared by the tribunals appointed by the apex court. These voters would be allowed to vote on Wednesday when 142 assembly seats go to polls. Six names have been deleted,” said an election commission of India (ECI) official.

“The polling station-wise names of voters, whose names have been included or deleted, has bene uploaded on the website. We would also give a copy of the updated list to the political parties, candidates, the returning officers and district election officers. The individual electors would be informed through the booth level officers,” ECI official said.

More than 2.7 million or 27 lakh names were deleted after adjudication.

On March 10, the ECI constituted 19 appellate tribunals on the Supreme Court’s orders. It appointed retired judges to hear appeals against orders of judicial officers in cases involving voters marked “under adjudication” as part of the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise.

On April 16, the Supreme Court invoked Article 142 of the Constitution, directing the ECI to ensure voters cleared by the appellate tribunals be included in the electoral rolls before April 21 for Phase 1 and April 27 for Phase 2 by issuing a supplementary revised electoral roll.

The tribunals cleared 139 voter names ahead of the first phase, while deleting eight names.

152 assembly seats went to polls in the first phase on April 23, elections for the remaining 142 seats will be held on Wednesday. Votes will be counted on May 4.