KOLKATA: A voter from Berhampore in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district has moved an Appellate Tribunal seeking restoration of his voting rights after alleged wrongful deletion of his name from the electoral roll, even as thousands of similar cases remain pending ahead of the state’s Assembly elections.
In an online appeal filed on April 11, Abdul Tahid Sheikh stated that he is a “bonafide citizen of India by birth” and a permanent resident of his listed address, asserting that he is fully eligible to vote. He further claimed that his name had previously appeared in the electoral rolls, including the SIR list (Serial No. 394, 2002) and the 1995 electoral roll (Serial No. 395). He also cited historical inclusion of his parents in the 1952 electoral rolls, arguing that these records establish his lawful eligibility.
Despite submitting documents and appearing for verification, Sheikh said his case was later placed under the “adjudication” category, after which his name was removed from the voter list.
He has requested the tribunal to overturn the deletion and direct authorities to restore his name in the electoral roll without delay.
However, Sheikh, a sexagenarian from Jadupur Pojadupur village, told his family that he remains uncertain about when his case will be heard. As of Tuesday afternoon, no official hearing notice had been issued, even as the first phase of polling in West Bengal—covering 152 of 294 Assembly constituencies—was just days away on April 23. The second phase is scheduled for April 29.
According to the Supreme Court’s directions, only those voters whose cases are cleared by tribunals by April 21 (for the first phase) and April 27 (for the second phase) will be permitted to vote. The Election Commission is expected to update the rolls accordingly on April 22 and April 28.
Following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, approximately 91 lakh names were removed in West Bengal. This includes over 63 lakh classified as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate (ASDD), and around 27 lakh others struck off after the adjudication process conducted by judicial officers.
Several affected individuals, including Sheikh and others such as Jaria Bibi, Bibhas Ghosh, Kajal Das Nandi, Biswajit Mondal and Sutapa Mondal, have reported uncertainty over their voting status due to delays in tribunal decisions.
Election officials have said that Appellate Tribunals headed by retired judges are currently reviewing appeals from deleted voters. However, they declined to provide details on the number of cases filed or disposed of, stating that consolidated data would be shared once received from the tribunals.
A senior official at the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer’s office said the final list would be published once tribunals confirm the names of eligible voters cleared for inclusion.
Meanwhile, the Appellate Tribunal office at Joka, along Diamond Harbour Road on the outskirts of Kolkata, has reportedly been placed under tight security, with restricted entry even for appellants and lawyers.
“There is no clarity on how many appeals have been filed or how many have been resolved,” said officials, adding that nodal officers assigned to coordinate with the tribunals have declined to comment.
Family members of affected voters say the lack of communication has caused widespread anxiety. Jainal Abedin, son of Abdul Tahid Sheikh, said the family has received no response since the appeal was submitted.
“It has been a week since my father filed the online application, but we are still in the dark,” he said.
Similar concerns have been echoed in several constituencies, including Beldanga, where clerical staff Manab Kodla said hundreds of voters from multiple communities have been affected, with many yet to receive any notice from the tribunals.