Confusion surrounds first supplementary list of SIR in West Bengal

Confusion marked the publication of the first supplementary electoral roll in West Bengal, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) admitting it had no data on the number of deletions following adjudication till Tuesday evening. Confusion surrounds first supplementary list of SIR in West Bengal

While voters and candidates whose names were under adjudication struggled to access the list, the poll panel faced sharp criticism from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and opposition parties.

“We won’t be able to tell how many names have been deleted in the first supplementary list. We don’t have that data. We have published the list with whatever data we have received from judicial officers appointed by the Calcutta high court. Of the 6 million cases under adjudication, around 290,000 claims have been disposed of,” chief electoral officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said.

The list was uploaded on the ECI website around midnight on Monday. People familiar with the matter said a second supplementary list is likely on Friday.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the timing and transparency. “Why was the supplementary list published around midnight? The lists have not been displayed at booths or offices. What are they afraid of? This means there is lack of transparency,” she said, alleging delays despite judicial officers having sent names earlier.

Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury said, “The poll dates have been announced, but the voters’ list has not been finalised. People have lost faith in the EC. Where would people appeal if their names are dropped? Tribunals haven’t been provided office space.”

The ECI said the list was published constituency and polling station-wise, but many reported technical issues. “I have been trying since morning to check the list. It is not opening. There could be server problems,” said CPI(M) candidate Unus Sarkar from Jalangi, whose name was under adjudication.

TMC candidate Md Ghulam Rabbani’s camp also reported access issues.

Some candidates, however, found relief. The names of TMC’s Jakir Hossain (Jangipur) and Bayron Biswas (Sagardighi) were cleared. “My name was missing earlier. It has now been cleared… nowhere else did SIR create such complications,” Biswas said.

EC officials said only names e-signed by judicial officers till 5 pm on March 23 were included. In some cases, such as Bhabanipur, the portal showed no adjudication data.

A senior EC official cited “temporary glitches”. BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya alleged irregularities, saying Form 7 applications were not uploaded in many places and demanded, “No SIR, no vote.”