Tens of thousands of voters placed “under adjudication” are awaiting a supplementary list of eligible voters, expected next week.
More than 60.06 lakh voters were under adjudication when the post-SIR electoral roll was published on February 28. Election Commission sources said decisions have been taken in around 23 lakh cases, but the absence of a supplementary list means voters still do not know the outcome of their cases.
For many, the uncertainty is nerve-wracking. Susmita Bhattacharjee, 40, has voted in every election since 2004. Yet, after more than two decades as a registered voter, her name is now marked “under adjudication”. “I do not know why this happened. Both my parents were in the 2002 list. My father has since passed away, and my mother’s name is in the 2026 list, but mine is under adjudication,” she said.
Originally from Budge Budge, Susmita shifted to Janbazar after marriage and transferred her registration to the Chowringhee Assembly constituency. “My husband and other family members are in the list,” she said.
A similar situation confronts Sufiya Begum, 65, from Khandagosh in Purba Bardhaman. While her husband, Abul Kalam Mollick, is on the roll, she has been left out. Sufiya received a hearing notice because her surname does not match her husband’s. Despite submitting her passport, Aadhaar card and voter ID, her case remains unresolved.
Her son, Safiul Mollick, said: “I do not know whether my mother will be able to vote. If she cannot, what happens in the future? Will this be used to exclude her from the voters’ list? Will her citizenship be questioned?”
The EC has announced polling in Bengal in two phases — April 23 and April 29 — but has not clarified whether all adjudication cases will be resolved before voting. Those whose names are not cleared must approach tribunals to appeal, raising concerns about whether hearings and decisions can be completed in time.
On March 10, the Supreme Court directed the formation of such tribunals. The EC on Friday set up appellate tribunals across districts to hear appeals from voters whose names are deleted after adjudication. The panels comprise 19 former judges, including T. S. Sivagnanam, former Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.