Kolkata: The Election Commission released a supplementary list late last night, following hearings for voters in West Bengal who had been placed in the ‘under review’ category under the SIR process. This constitutes the first supplementary, or additional, list. The Election Commission had previously announced that this list would be released on Monday itself.
Initially, there were reports suggesting that the list might be released in the afternoon. However, this did not happen. On Monday evening, Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Agarwal, announced that the list would be released later that same night. Accordingly, the list was released around 12:00 AM on Monday.
The final voter list had been released on February 28. The supplementary list was released approximately 23 days later. The Chief Electoral Officer further stated that by 4:00 PM on Monday, decisions regarding 2.9 million names had been finalized. In other words, this initial list contains the names of 2.9 million people.
Following the publication of the final list, it was observed that 6 million names remained under review. Decisions have now been reached regarding approximately half of those names—specifically, determining whether or not they will be added to the list. The Commission has announced that the supplementary list is available on two websites.
This first list indicates whose names have been included following the completion of the review process. Therefore, individuals whose names appeared with an ‘under review’ status in the list released on February 28 must first check ‘Supplementary List Number 1’ to ascertain whether their names have now been officially enrolled.
If a name appears in this list, it signifies that the concerned individual has secured the right to vote. Conversely, if a name does not appear in this list, the individual must look for their name in subsequent lists—specifically, in the ‘Deletion List.’ The Commission has stated that if a voter’s name is omitted or deleted, they may file an appeal—either online or offline—with the Appellate Tribunal within 15 days of the publication of the supplementary list. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has issued a directive mandating that the Commission is bound to abide by any decision rendered by the Appellate Tribunal regarding the retention of an individual’s name in the voter list.
On Friday evening—approximately three days prior to the scheduled publication of the list—the Commission constituted the Appellate Tribunal. In a notification, the Commission announced that this tribunal was established in accordance with the directives of the Supreme Court and the recommendations of the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.
Former judges have been appointed as appellate officers for various districts across the state. T.S. Sivagnanam, the former Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, is also serving as an appellate officer; he will hear appeals pertaining to North 24 Parganas and Kolkata.
Meanwhile, the state administration had already expressed apprehension that the law-and-order situation could deteriorate following the publication of the supplementary voter list. To ensure that no untoward incidents occur in the wake of the list’s release, Nabanna had issued cautionary letters to the District Magistrates of every district.
Against the backdrop of these various developments, the supplementary list was finally released late at night—significantly past the scheduled time. It now remains to be seen what impact this list will have on the politics of Bengal—a state currently gearing up for elections.
