Orders are fine but when and how do we get to know about our right to vote: SIR-hit electors in West Bengal

KOLKATA: The Supreme Court's order on the supplementary revised electoral roll on Thursday is yet to address the anxiety among several deleted voters who are still waiting to know about the tribunals' take on their voting right in the assembly election to be held on April 23 and 29 in Bengal.

The order now allows a window of five more days to voters ahead of the phase 1 polling on April 23 and 11 days to voters ahead of the phase 2 polling on April 29.

The apex court has directed the ECI that "wherever the appellate tribunals are able to decide the appeals by April 21 or April 27, as the case may be, such appellate orders shall be given effect to by issuing a supplementary revised electoral roll and all necessary consequences with respect to the right to vote shall follow".




Voters knocked off the roll in the wake of the SIR exercise have welcomed the order, but their concerns remain as to how they will get to know about the results of their appeal in the tribunals in the eleventh hour of polling.

Bengal chief electoral officer Manoj Agarwal told reporters, "I am not in a position to say now how many appeals have been cleared. The dashboard is not functional yet." The CEO said whatever the tribunal clears by April 21 and April 27 will be updated in the voter list. CEO Agarwal also did not speak on how the tribunals will work. "The SOP is being prepared by the committee of judges. We are not aware of it yet."

Shamim Akhter, a deleted voter from Entally and assistant professor of Aliah University, said, "Almost two weeks have passed since I filed an appeal online to get my voting right restored. Till now, I have no idea whether my appeal has been gone through by the tribunal. The SC order shows me a glimmer of hope that I might get my right back, but how will I get to know about the tribunal order?"

Charu Chandra Avenue resident Raju Hela, whose name has been struck off along with that of his disabled son, said, "I don't know who will keep me posted about the tribunals' directions in response to the appeal made by me. I got my appeal drafted by a lawyer and I hope that my son and I will get back voting right. The SC order gives me some hope, but I am in dark over how to get to know about the decision on my voting right."

Another deleted voter from Bhowanipore, Rajkumar Paswan, said, "Like me, many in Bengal have lost voting right even after submission of documents sought by the EC. The SC has given time till April 27 — 48 hours before phase 2 polling — to get back the right. I am waiting for the tribunal's decision with regard to my appeal."

Najrul Islam, a deleted voter from Murshidabad, said, "I have already appealed before the tribunal, but I have no clue about the status of my appeal."

(Inputs from Poulami Roy Banerjee & Kaushik

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