Bengal Voter List Discrepancy: 15 Lakh Names Missing Despite Case Disposal
In a significant development concerning West Bengal's electoral roll revision, judicial officers have disposed of a total of 37 lakh 'under-adjudication' cases as of Friday evening. However, a puzzling discrepancy has emerged, with only 22 lakh voters' names visible on the first two supplementary lists, which include both included and excluded names combined. This leaves approximately 15 lakh names unaccounted for, trapped in what officials describe as the "missing e-sign" mystery.
Election Commission's Supplementary Lists Lack Clarity
The Election Commission (EC) published a third supplementary list late on Saturday, but failed to provide clarity on the number of names it contained. A senior EC official stated that supplementary lists will now be published daily. This follows the special intensive revision of Bengal's electoral roll, where about 60 lakh voters were marked as 'under-adjudication', with their cases being reviewed by over 700 judicial officers.
On March 23, senior EC officials indicated that around 29 lakh pending cases had been disposed of by judicial officers. Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal had assured that all names with e-signatures from judicial officers by 5 pm that day would be published in the first supplementary list. However, when the list was released around midnight, it contained only 10 lakh names.
Persistent Discrepancies in Voter List Publication
The pattern repeated on Friday, with EC officials reporting that 37 lakh cases had been disposed of by evening. The second supplementary list was expected to carry the remaining 27 lakh names, but it featured only 12 lakh. A senior EC official explained, "We received 12 lakh cases with e-signatures and published accordingly," without addressing why 15 lakh disposed-of cases lacked the required e-signature.
An EC source revealed that the 'digital signature' feature was initially omitted from the software developed for the judicial adjudication process. It was introduced later into the workflow, after many judicial officers had already disposed of cases for certain booths and assembly segments and moved on to other constituencies. Consequently, numerous cases lack e-signs despite being disposed of. These vetted cases will only return to their respective judicial officers for e-signature once all pending cases assigned to them are settled.
High Rejection Rates and Delayed Appellate Tribunals
Senior EC officials have indicated that the rejection rate following judicial scrutiny is as high as 35%-40%. Despite this, five days after the first supplementary list's publication and 24 hours after the second, there is still no indication that appellate tribunals—where deleted voters can file appeals—have begun operations. According to EC rules, voters struck off the rolls after adjudication can file appeals within 15 days of the supplementary lists' publication.
With April 7 set as the deadline for locking voters' lists for the 152 assembly constituencies voting in the first phase on April 23, the Trinamool Congress has raised concerns about the narrow window for disposing of appeals. CEO Agarwal mentioned on Friday that the Calcutta High Court is assessing five potential locations for setting up the tribunals.
The ongoing discrepancies and lack of transparency in the voter list revision process have sparked significant concern among political parties and voters alike, as West Bengal prepares for crucial assembly elections.
