TMC claims SIR voter deletions exceeded BJP win margin in 31 Bengal seats
The Trinamool Congress on Monday claimed before the Supreme Court of India that voter deletions carried out during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in West Bengal may have materially affected the outcome of several assembly constituencies.
The submissions were made during a hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
Senior advocate and TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee argued that in 31 constituencies, the BJP’s margin of victory was lower than the number of voters deleted during the SIR adjudication process.
According to LiveLaw, Banerjee told the court that in several constituencies, the difference between the BJP’s winning margin and the number of deleted voters was nearly identical.
He cited one constituency where a candidate allegedly lost by 862 votes while over 5,432 persons had been removed from the electoral rolls for adjudication.
Banerjee further claimed that the overall vote gap between the TMC and the BJP stood at nearly 32 lakh votes, while around 35 lakh appeals related to voter inclusion and deletion remained pending before appellate tribunals.
The TMC leader also referred to an earlier observation by Justice Bagchi suggesting that if the winning margin in a constituency was lower than the number of deleted voters, the issue could warrant judicial scrutiny.
The Election Commission of India opposed the submissions, arguing that the appropriate legal remedy was through election petitions. The poll body maintained that issues linked to the SIR process and related appeals concerning voter additions or deletions should be addressed through established legal mechanisms.
Responding to the submissions, the Supreme Court said former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and others were free to file fresh applications regarding their allegations.
“Whatever you want to say about results which may have materially affected because of deletions under adjudication requires an independent Interlocutory Application,” Justice Bagchi observed during the hearing.
Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy informed the bench that, at the current pace, appellate tribunals could take nearly four years to dispose of pending appeals.
The bench said priority would be given to ensuring expeditious disposal of appeals.
Justice Bagchi further stated that the court would examine objections raised by the Election Commission after fresh applications are filed and would also seek a report from the Chief Justice concerned regarding timelines for resolving the pending appeals.
