91% of names back in Bengal electoral roll as SIR tribunals dispose of handful of appeals

91% of names back in Bengal electoral roll as SIR tribunals dispose of handful of appeals Cong MP.

Key points

• In South 24 Parganas district, of the 3, 21, 332 appeals filed, 20, 107 names have been included and 24 excluded so far.
• In North 24 Parganas district, 3, 58, 872 appeals were filed, and of the 277 disposed of, all have been included in the rolls.
• In another border district of Malda, 5, 31, 149 appeals were filed, and out of 1, 471 cases disposed of, all have been included in the electoral rolls.
• The SIR appellate tribunals in West Bengal have so far disposed of 82, 782 appeals.
• Ravik Bhattacharya is a highly experienced and award-winning journalist at present serving as the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata.

91% of names back in Bengal electoral roll as SIR tribunals dispose of handful of appeals Cong MP. This person filed an RTI, notes further 10 lakh appeals were filed in tribunals for deletions, seeks EC's clarification. Written by: Ravik Bhattacharya, Atri Mitra. 4 min read Kolkata Aug 26, 2026 05: 24 AM IST.

In South 24 Parganas district, of the 3, 21, 332 appeals filed, 20, 107 names have been included and 24 excluded so far. This is the highest inclusion of names so far, followed by in Hooghly where 19, 528 names have been continued in the rolls.

Meanwhile, the SIR appellate tribunals in West Bengal have so far disposed of 82, 782 appeals. While 8.86 per cent (7, 339) of names have been excluded, out of which, 91 per cent (75, 443) of names have been continued back to the state's electoral list.

This has been made public by the Election Commission (ED) in an RTI reply. It was filed by Congress MP Isha Khan Chowdhury.

As per the EC's reply under the Right To Information (RTI) Act, the number of appeals filed was more than the number of residents listed as "Not Eligible" in the adjudication process, nevertheless.

Citing the RTI reply, the MP remarked, "The major concern is that 38, 10, 620 appeals were filed against 27, 28, 500 voters recorded as 'Not Eligible' – a difference of 10, 82, 120 appeals. These were filed by the Election Commission for excluding voters who had voted in this year's Assembly elections. This requires immediate clarification by the Election Commission, " Chowdhury remarked.

Pointing to inclusion of 75, 443 names in the electoral rolls out of the 82, 782 appeals so far disposed of by the appellate tribunals, the Congress MP remarked, "In other words, more than 91 per cent of the disposed cases have resulted in restoration, raising a serious question about the initial deletion of genuine voters and whether eligible citizens were denied the opportunity to exercise their right to vote."

"The consequences are not merely electoral. Plenty of affected citizens are living in fear and uncertainty, facing difficulties in accessing administration benefits or unable to travel abroad for employment due to apprehensions regarding detention. Electoral rolls must be accurate, transparent and inclusive. No genuine citizen should be deprived of the right, " he continued.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Prasenjit Bose. This person leads the party's SIR panel and is one of the petitioners challenging the SIR exercise in the Supreme Court, remarked that only seven lakh out of the 27 lakh voters excluded by the adjudication phase over "logical discrepancies" have been able to file appeals.

"We informed the Supreme Court that the state administration office-holders are claiming that only 7 lakh out of total 27 lakh deleted electors have filed appeals so far. The rest of the appeals have been filed by EC or individual objectors, " Bose remarked.

"The intention behind the EC's March 10 order for constituting the Appellate Tribunals was to create a mechanism by which those persons whose claim for inclusion was rejected by the judicial officers could be included in the electoral rolls and not to create a means for the EC and other objectors to file bulk appeals for deletions, " he continued.

According to The Congress leader, they have called on the Supreme Court to set up a time-bound schedule for the disposal of the appeals, citing the elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Howrah Municipal Corporation scheduled to be held by the end of this year.

According to data provided by the EC, the highest number of appeals were filed in the border district of Murshidabad. Of the 7, 47, 305 appeals filed in the district, 434 names have been included and 53 excluded so far. (See chart).

In the hill district of Darjeeling, only one name has been excluded so far, and 159 have been included, of the total 50, 712 appeals filed here. © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd.

Ravik Bhattacharya is a highly experienced and award-winning journalist at present serving as the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, Ravik possesses deep expertise throughout a broad set of critical subjects and geographical areas. Experience & Authority Current Role: Chief of Bureau, The Indian Express, Kolkata. Expertise: Extensive reporting throughout West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, and the Andaman Nicobar Islands. Ravik specializes in politics, crime, major incidents and problems, and investigative stories, demonstrating a robust command of complex and sensitive subjects. Experience: His long and distinguished career includes key reporting roles at a number of prestigious publications, including The Asian Age, The Statesman, The Telegraph, and The Hindustan Times. Ravik's current role marks his second stint with The Indian Express, having previously served as a Principal Correspondent in the Kolkata bureau from 2005 to 2010. Major Award: Ravik's authority and quality of work are substantiated by his winning of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for Political Reporting. Education: His solid academic foundation includes a Bachelor's degree with English Honours from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University, and a PG Diploma in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik Bhattacharya's extensive tenure, specialized beat coverage, and notable award confirm his status as a trusted and authoritative voice in Indian journalism, particularly for stories emanating from Eastern India.

Taken together, the developments around 91% of names back in Bengal electoral roll as SIR tribunals dispose point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.