West Bengal bypolls: TMC MP urges EC to ensure no eligible voter denied voting right

Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam on Monday (September 14, 2026) urged the Election Commission to expedite redressal of grievances of voters whose names were deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, so that no eligible elector is denied the right to vote in the upcoming Assembly bypolls. Nearly 25 lakh appeals have been filed before SIR tribunals over deletion of names from the voter list.

In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Mr. Islam said thousands of voters in the bypoll-bound Rejinagar and Nandigram constituencies were awaiting decisions on their appeals. The byelection for the two seats will be held on October 6, with counting scheduled for October 9.

Mr. Islam urged the EC, the Chief Electoral Officer and Electoral Registration Officers to immediately address the grievances of voters whose names were deleted during the SIR exercise.

“Among them are thousands from Rejinagar and Nandigram alone, still awaiting a decision on their appeals,” he said in the letter. The Trinamool Congress MP said the affected voters had already been deprived of their right to vote during the Assembly elections held in April this year. “Allowing the situation to continue,” he added, would result in their being denied the right to vote again.

Mr. Islam also asked the poll panel to calculate the time required to dispose of the pending appeals at the current rate and approach the Supreme Court for necessary modifications to the procedure, if required. He said the law provides for appeals against orders relating to electoral registration.

Many of the deleted voters have either already filed appeals or are in the process of doing so, while some are registering their names afresh, the MP claimed.

“Ensuring this would be far more than an administrative measure; it would be a reaffirmation of the constitutional promise of universal adult suffrage, the sanctity of the franchise and the inclusive democratic character of our Republic,” Mr. Islam said.