1,468 voters, previously removed during the SIR process, have been added back to the electoral rolls ahead of Phase 2 polling.
The move follows directives from the Supreme Court and the Election Commission, ensuring eligible voters are not disenfranchised.
Phase 2 voting will take place across 142 constituencies with an electorate of around 3.2 crore, amid ongoing concerns over voter list revisions.
As the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections is scheduled for April 29, 2026, the state is gearing up for polling across multiple constituencies. Ahead of voting, 1,468 voters whose names were previously removed during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process have been added back to the electoral rolls following decisions by appellate tribunals.
The move comes in line with directions issued by the Election Commission of India and the Supreme Court of India. Polling in the second phase will take place across 142 Assembly constituencies, with the total electorate now estimated at around 3.2 crore. Officials have confirmed that voters whose names were restored through the tribunal process will be eligible to cast their votes.
The appellate tribunals, set up under the SIR exercise, have been reviewing appeals filed by voters whose names were deleted during the revision of electoral rolls. According to the Election Commission, the tribunals received approximately 34 lakh applications.
However, there is still no clarity on how many of these cases were fully resolved before the polling process. Reports also indicate that six names were rejected for inclusion by the tribunals.
The voter list revision process has been both extensive and controversial. During the SIR exercise, around 27.10 lakh names were initially marked for deletion due to “logical discrepancies.” Overall, nearly 91 lakh names are reported to have been removed from the rolls during the entire revision process, leading to widespread concern and a surge in appeals.
To ensure that eligible voters are not disenfranchised, the Supreme Court invoked its special powers under Article 142 of the Constitution. It directed that voters whose appeals were accepted by tribunals up to two days before each polling phase must be included in supplementary electoral rolls.
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Following this directive, the Election Commission released a second supplementary list ahead of the second phase. Earlier, before the first phase of polling held on April 23, 2026, 139 names were added while eight were deleted in a similar exercise.
Officials stated that the updated voter lists—including both additions and deletions— have been uploaded online. Copies are also being shared with political parties, candidates, returning officers, and district election officials. Voters can verify their status through the official website using their EPIC number or by checking constituency-wise and booth-wise lists.
The second phase of polling will cover constituencies across seven districts of West Bengal on April 29, 2026. The counting of votes for the Assembly elections is scheduled for May 4, 2026.
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