Election Commission Reports 37 Lakh Pending Appeals in Bengal
· India · Indian Express, The Hindu, Times of India
The Election Commission of India has informed the Supreme Court that over 37 lakh appeals regarding the inclusion or deletion of names in West Bengal’s electoral rolls remain pending. Although appellate tribunals have been operational for five months, only 1.02 lakh of the 38.20 lakh total appeals have been disposed of. The commission's affidavit failed to provide a specific break-up of appeals filed for inclusion versus those for exclusion. During a recent hearing, the Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant suggested that the poll panel should prioritise exclusion appeals, as these directly impact an individual's right to vote. The state has seen significant anxiety following reports of millions of deletions during the Special Intensive Revision process.
Why it matters
The massive backlog of appeals threatens to disenfranchise millions of voters in West Bengal, raising urgent concerns about the integrity and transparency of the electoral roll revision process.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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