Election Commission Reports 93% Success Rate for Deleted Bengal Voters in Appeals

The Election Commission of India has informed the Supreme Court that approximately 93% of voters whose names were deleted from West Bengal electoral rolls during the recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive have successfully won their appeals. According to an affidavit filed by the poll panel, 1,13,943 individuals were able to satisfy appellate tribunals that their exclusion was incorrect, leading to their reinstatement on the rolls. The data, which covers cases decided until September 16, 2026, also notes that 8,649 appeals were rejected, resulting in the permanent deletion of those entries.

The Election Commission has proposed the establishment of 42 election tribunals in West Bengal to manage a significant backlog of appeals. Currently, 19 tribunals are operational in the state. Official figures indicate that out of approximately 3.8 million total appeals filed, 3.7 million remain pending. These appeals are split between those challenging the deletion of names and those contesting the inclusion of other voters in the electoral rolls. The tribunals, which began hearings in April, were constituted following Supreme Court directions to include panels of former High Court chief justices and judges.

The affidavit was submitted to the Supreme Court to counter claims made by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and MP Derek O'Brien, who alleged that the mass deletions of voters significantly impacted the outcome of the state assembly elections. The Election Commission rejected these claims as speculative, arguing that the applicant ignored data showing that in 21 constituencies, the number of deletions under adjudication exceeded the margin of victory for the TMC's own candidates. The commission stated that applying the same logic used by the TMC would require setting aside election results in constituencies won by the party itself.

the commission asserted that the attempt to characterize all deletions as effective disenfranchisement was misleading. It argued that once removals pertaining to ineligible entries, such as those categorized as absent, shifted, duplicate, dead, or displaced, are excluded, the data demonstrates that in several constituencies, the number of adjudicated deletions was lower than the margin of defeat. The commission maintains that this evidence invalidates the theory that the roll revision process altered the electoral outcome. The next procedural step involves the continued adjudication of the remaining 3.7 million pending appeals by the existing and proposed tribunals.