TMC tells SC deleted voters altered Bengal Assembly Election results, cites 35 lakh pending appeals

In a significant hearing before the Supreme Court on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that large-scale deletion of voter names had materially influenced election outcomes in the state.

Appearing for the TMC, senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee told the court that in at least 31 Assembly constituencies, the margin of victory was lower than the number of voters removed during the SIR exercise.

Highlighting what he described as the “serious electoral impact” of the revision process, Banerjee informed the bench that one TMC candidate lost by just 862 votes, while more than 5,000 names were deleted from the electoral rolls in that constituency alone.

He further argued that the overall vote difference between the TMC and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state stood at nearly 32 lakh votes, whereas over 35 lakh appeals challenging voter deletions are still pending disposal.

SC takes cognisance

The matter was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The bench observed that if the margin of defeat was indeed lower than the number of deleted voters, affected parties were free to move an appropriate application before the court.

The observation assumes significance as the Supreme Court, during an earlier hearing, had indicated that cases involving narrow victory margins and disputed voter deletions may warrant judicial scrutiny.

Representing the petitioners, senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy raised concerns over delays in the appellate mechanism dealing with voter deletion disputes. She told the bench that at the current pace, appellate tribunals could take nearly four years to clear the backlog of pending appeals.

Responding to these concerns, the court remarked that the existing system for hearing electoral roll appeals may require strengthening and procedural improvements to ensure timely adjudication.

However, the Election Commission maintained that the legal position on the issue was absolutely clear and reiterated that the appropriate remedy in election-related disputes is the filing of an election petition.

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