Fate of voters deleted during SIR hangs in balance for upcoming municipal polls in Kolkata

The key issue is that deleting a name from the Assembly electoral roll can create a gap before municipal elections. Kolkata and Howrah’s polls are scheduled for next month, while many SIR-related appeals remain unresolved. Without re-enrolment or inclusion in the municipal roll, affected voters may not appear as eligible electors.

Article 243ZA places municipal electoral-roll control with the State Election Commission, not the Election Commission of India. Under Section 5 of the West Bengal State Election Commission Act, 1994, the State commission may choose whether to adopt Assembly rolls for municipal elections. It also has powers to add or remove names.

Opposition parties and civil society groups want elections delayed until re-enrolment and the annual SSR finish. The final SSR list is due on January 4, 2027. They also seek inclusion of appellants whose tribunal cases are still pending, potentially restoring voting access before local polls.

A Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, is an intensive process for checking and updating electoral rolls. It examines voter records rather than simply adding new names. The purpose is to identify records that may no longer belong on the roll and to correct the list.

In West Bengal, the enumeration phase placed voters in categories including Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, and Dead. Nearly 60 lakh names were removed during that phase. Some affected voters have challenged their deletion before appellate tribunals, while the Election Commission of India has started special drives to re-enrol people left out.

The process matters because an electoral roll determines who is recorded as eligible to vote. Large-scale deletions therefore affect participation in upcoming elections. The controversy has led to protests, tribunal appeals, a new re-enrolment effort, and the annual Special Summary Revision, whose final list is scheduled for January 4, 2027.

West Bengal’s SIR produced a very large number of deletions. During the enumeration phase, nearly 60 lakh voters were removed under the Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, and Dead categories. The figure covers names removed from the electoral roll during that exercise.

At the same time, more than 37 lakh voters’ cases are stuck in appellate tribunals. These cases concern people seeking a decision after their names were removed. The article describes the tribunals as working at a tardy pace, leaving many appellants without a final outcome.

These figures matter because Kolkata and Howrah municipal elections are scheduled for next month. Opposition parties and civil society groups want pending appellants included and elections held only after re-enrolment and the SSR. The Election Commission of India has announced those processes, with the final SSR list due on January 4, 2027.

If municipal elections happen before re-enrolment and the SSR are complete, some eligible voters may still be absent from the roll used for voting. A pending appeal does not automatically mean the person has been restored. The result could be exclusion from local elections while the person’s eligibility is still being examined.

The concern is especially serious because more than 37 lakh voter cases are pending before appellate tribunals. Opposition parties and civil society groups have asked the State Election Commission to include all appellants whose cases remain pending. They argue that completing re-enrolment first would give eligible people a chance to return to the roll.

The State Election Commission has discretion over whether to adopt Assembly rolls for municipal polls. The ECI has begun special re-enrolment drives and announced the annual SSR. Its final list is scheduled for January 4, 2027, making election timing central to voter access.

The Election Commission of India is handling the wider voter-list response described in the article. It has started special drives to re-enrol voters left out during the SIR and announced the annual Special Summary Revision. The final SSR list is scheduled for publication on January 4, 2027.

Municipal elections are different. Article 243ZA assigns preparation of municipal electoral rolls to the State Election Commission. Section 5 of the West Bengal State Election Commission Act, 1994, gives that commission discretion over adopting the rolls used for Assembly elections. It also has statutory powers to add and delete municipal-roll entries.

This division creates the immediate uncertainty. The ECI may restore names through its processes, but the State Election Commission decides the roll used for municipal polls. Groups have therefore asked State Election Commissioner Krishna Gupta to wait and include people whose SIR appeals remain before tribunals.

A voter whose name was deleted can try to be re-enrolled through the ECI’s special drives. The article also refers to submitting Form 6, the form used by deleted voters seeking inclusion. The Supreme Court assured that deleted voters would not be prosecuted for submitting it. The voter may also challenge the deletion through an appellate tribunal.

Tribunals are handling appeals from people removed during the SIR. More than 37 lakh cases are pending, so a tribunal appeal may not produce a quick decision. Opposition parties and civil society groups want the State Election Commission to include all appellants whose cases remain pending before municipal elections.

The annual SSR is a separate route for reviewing and updating the roll. The ECI has announced it after protests over deletions, and its final list is due on January 4, 2027. Re-enrolment, Form 6, tribunal appeals, and SSR therefore represent linked ways to seek restoration or correction.

Electoral rolls are the working record of who may vote. If an eligible person’s name is missing, that person may not be able to participate, even if the deletion is being challenged. The West Bengal dispute shows why control over voter lists is a basic democratic issue: it directly affects access to elected local government.

For Kolkata and Howrah municipal elections, the State Election Commission prepares and controls the relevant rolls under Article 243ZA. Under Section 5 of the state law, it can decide whether to adopt Assembly rolls. It also has powers to add and delete names. Thus, the roll used for the municipal poll determines whose participation is recognised.

Nearly 60 lakh names were removed during SIR enumeration, and more than 37 lakh cases are pending before tribunals. The ECI’s re-enrolment drive and SSR may restore names, but timing matters. Groups want those processes completed before elections so eligible voters are not left out.