Bengal SIR: EC adds 136 voters cleared by tribunals from 27 lakh appeals before first polling phase

In a supplementary list published on Wednesday, the Election Commission added 136 voters to the electoral rolls in West Bengal whose appeals were accepted by the appellate tribunals before the first phase of Assembly elections, ABP Ananda reported.

The approval rate for the appeals was 98.5% as only 138 cases had been decided on by the tribunals before the first phase of polling, as part of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls. The remaining two appeals were rejected, Aaj Tak Bangla reported.

About 34 lakh appeals were reportedly pending before the tribunals. Of these, seven lakh were against names being included in the rolls and 27 lakh were filed by persons who were excluded, News9 reported.

On April 16, the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to publish a supplementary electoral roll in West Bengal to include voters whose appeals against deletions have been accepted by the appellate tribunals.

Persons whose appeals have been cleared by the tribunals before April 21 should be included for voting in the first phase of Assembly elections, the court had said. Those who are cleared by April 27 should be included in the final electoral rolls for the second phase of the polls.

All decisions made by the tribunals on the addition and deletion of voters by those dates must be reflected in the final voter...

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