Bengal Phase 2: Massive Backlog of Voter Appeals Raises Concerns

With the second phase of polling in West Bengal just around the corner, a massive backlog of voter appeals has sparked serious concern. Despite lakhs of citizens approaching appellate bodies to restore their names on electoral rolls, only a negligible number of cases have been addressed so far.

Out of nearly 12.9 lakh appeals filed by voters whose names were removed during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), barely over a thousand have been approved. A mere six applications have been rejected, leaving the overwhelming majority of applicants in limbo ahead of voting day.

At the Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation in Joka, South Kolkata, scenes of chaos have emerged. Hundreds of people have been standing in long lines under extreme heat, hoping for last-minute relief.

The situation is further complicated by the slow functioning of 19 appellate tribunals operating from the same premises. Their limited pace has resulted in only a tiny fraction of appeals being processed, adding to voter anxiety.

The delay in decisions means that a large number of voters risk losing their chance to participate in this phase of elections. This follows similar concerns from Phase 1, where many voters were unable to cast their ballots due to unresolved appeals.

In Phase 2, over 3.2 crore voters are expected to participate, choosing among 1,448 candidates across more than 41,000 polling stations. However, the pending appeals could significantly impact voter turnout.

The issue has already reached the Supreme Court, where petitions highlighted that even individuals assigned election duties were denied voting rights due to pending appeals.

The court has clarified that only those whose appeals are approved before the specified deadlines will be eligible to vote. Simply having a pending appeal does not grant voting rights for the ongoing phases.

However, the judiciary has also indicated that while some individuals may miss voting this time, their names can still be restored to the electoral rolls through due process.

The scale of pending cases has triggered widespread debate about the efficiency and fairness of the voter verification process. With deadlines fast approaching and thousands still waiting, uncertainty continues to loom large over the electoral exercise in Bengal.