West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 | Only 2 names restored after SC nod out of 27 lakh deletions

Kolkata: Out of the 27 lakh names deleted from the electoral rolls in West Bengal following adjudication, only two have been restored so far, after intervention by the Supreme Court, as the final voter list has been frozen as per rules, officials said on Friday.

The voter list was frozen despite the proposed 19 tribunals, meant to hear appeals against deletions, not yet becoming operational.

Poll panel officials said more than two lakh applications seeking hearings before the tribunals had been filed online till Thursday. However, the Chief Electoral Officer’s office did not issue any official statement on the matter.

The two individuals whose names were reinstated are Mahatab Shaikh, the Congress candidate from Farakka, and former MLA Mottakin Alam, who has since filed his nomination as a Congress candidate from Manikchak after his name was restored.

With no clarity on when the tribunals will begin functioning, anxious voters continued to queue up at offices of Block Development Officers (BDOs) and District Magistrates (DMs) across the state, carrying documents and seeking guidance.

"We have submitted documents multiple times, but there is no clarity on whether applying online will be enough," a voter said outside a district office.

Another applicant said, "People are worried as polling dates are approaching and hearings have not begun."

According to a poll body official, preparatory work is underway at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation, where one of the tribunals is proposed to be set up, but operations have not yet started.

"Work has progressed, but the tribunal is not functional yet. It may take another day or two," the official said.

In a move aimed at streamlining coordination, a senior IAS officer was appointed on April 7 as an additional chief electoral officer to act as a single-point interface between the Election Commission, the Calcutta High Court and the tribunals.

The voter list for the first phase of polling on April 23 was frozen on April 6, marking the deadline for inclusion in that phase. The list for the second phase, scheduled for April 29, was also frozen on Thursday.