TMC Claims Voter List Changes Impacted Election Results in West Bengal

TMC's Allegations on Voter List Modifications

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) asserted on Monday that the recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list significantly influenced the election outcomes in certain assembly constituencies of West Bengal. This assertion was made during a hearing before the Supreme Court, presided over by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. According to reports, TMC leader and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee highlighted that in 31 constituencies, the margin of victory for the BJP over TMC was less than the number of individuals removed from the voter list during the SIR process. He further noted that in several instances, the number of removed voters closely matched the margin of defeat. For instance, in one constituency, a candidate lost by 862 votes, while over 5,432 names were deleted from the voter list for that decision.

Banerjee claimed that the vote difference between TMC and BJP was approximately 3.2 million, with around 3.5 million appeals pending before appellate tribunals.

Judicial Remarks and Election Commission's Response

The MP referenced a previous comment made by Justice Bagchi, indicating that if the margin of victory is less than the number of voters removed, a judicial inquiry might be warranted. The Election Commission opposed these claims, stating that the appropriate remedy lies in an election petition, and that the commission can be held accountable for issues related to the SIR and appeals concerning the addition or removal of votes.

Supreme Court's Stance

The Supreme Court bench stated that former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and others could file new applications regarding their claims. Justice Bagchi mentioned that any statements regarding the results that may have been significantly affected by the decisions in question would require a separate interim application (IA). Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy informed the bench that, at the current pace, it would take at least four years for appellate tribunals to resolve the appeals. The Chief Justice emphasized that the priority must be to ensure the swift resolution of these appeals.