Nearly 1.6 lakh appeals against the deletion of names from electoral rolls are pending in Kolkata and Howrah, bringing the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) into the debate over upcoming civic elections in West Bengal. Opposition parties, civil rights groups and public intellectuals have urged the State Election Commission to hold municipal polls only after the pending appeals are resolved and the electoral roll revision process is completed.
A delegation submitted a memorandum to State Election Commissioner Krishna Gupta on October 26, seeking the postponement of elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) and other municipalities until the electoral roll revision process is completed in January 2027. The Commissioner's office has agreed to meet the signatories on Wednesday, October 28, at 3 pm.
Nearly 1.6 Lakh Appeals Pending in Kolkata and Howrah
The memorandum cites figures from an affidavit filed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) before the Supreme Court on September 16, 2026. According to the figures cited, around 1.2 lakh appeals against the deletion of names from electoral rolls are pending in the KMC area, while approximately 39,000 remain pending in the HMC area. Together, the number stands at nearly 1.6 lakh.
The memorandum further claims that, among the cases decided by appellate tribunals, all cases in Kolkata district and 99 per cent of those in Howrah resulted in decisions favouring the inclusion of names in the electoral rolls. The delegation argues that conducting civic elections while a large number of appeals remain unresolved could put eligible voters at risk of being denied their right to vote.
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However, the memorandum does not suggest that every appellant with a pending case will necessarily be found eligible to vote. Its central demand is that voters should not be deprived of an opportunity to participate in another election before their appeals have been decided.
Why the January 2027 Deadline Matters
Following directions from the ECI, the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal launched a special drive on October 1, 2026, to facilitate the inclusion of eligible citizens whose names are missing from the electoral rolls. The initiative also covers young citizens and first-time voters.
The Commission has separately scheduled a Special Summary Revision (SSR), with January 1, 2027, set as the qualifying date. According to the schedule cited in the memorandum, the draft electoral roll is due to be published on November 12, 2026, and the final roll on January 4, 2027.
The delegation wants elections to the municipal corporations and municipalities of Kolkata, Howrah and other parts of the state to be held only after publication of the final electoral roll. It has also called for the polls to be deferred until the revised completion date if the revision schedule is extended.
Does the State Election Commission Have the Authority?
The memorandum invokes Article 243ZA of the Constitution and Section 5 of the West Bengal State Election Commission Act, 1994. The delegation argues that the State Election Commission has the authority to determine the arrangements and conditions governing the preparation and use of electoral rolls for municipal elections.
According to the memorandum, the State Election Commissioner can, subject to applicable legal conditions and the exercise of statutory discretion, adopt the electoral roll used for Assembly elections for municipal polls. On this basis, the delegation has urged the Commission to ensure that voters whose cases remain pending before appellate tribunals following the SIR exercise are included in the electoral rolls used for civic elections.
The Commission has not yet announced a final decision on whether it accepts this legal interpretation or intends to alter the civic poll schedule.
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Political Parties and Civil Society Join Hands
The memorandum carries the signatures of several prominent political leaders and civil society representatives, including West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Subhankar Sarkar, Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP Saugata Roy, Samik Lahiri of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Partha Ghosh of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, and former Rajya Sabha MP and former Union government secretary Jawhar Sircar.
Other signatories include Pijush Roy, Sangrami Gana, representing Sangrami Gana Mancha; Samsur Mallick of the Nagarik Samanway Mancha; human rights activist Sujato Bhadra; and Barnali Mukherjee of the Bharat Jodo Abhiyan.
The joint initiative by political parties and civil society groups centres on a key question: how can voters whose names have been deleted during the SIR exercise be ensured a fair opportunity to participate in municipal elections? Attention is now focused on the State Election Commission's meeting with the delegation and the decisions that may follow.