Abhishek Banerjee Urges EC to Publish Daily Supplementary Voter Lists in West Bengal

Kolkata, March 2026 : Abhishek Banerjee, general secretary of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and a Lok Sabha MP, has written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar seeking the daily publication of the supplementary voter list related to the final electoral roll released on February 28 in West Bengal.

In a letter sent late Friday evening, Banerjee requested that the Election Commission of India publish updates to the supplementary voter list on a daily basis in line with the progress of judicial adjudication of voters placed under the “logical discrepancy” category. A copy of the letter was accessed by media organisations.

The final voter list for West Bengal, which was published on February 28, excluded nearly six million cases that had been referred for judicial adjudication. These cases involved voters whose details were flagged for inconsistencies and therefore required verification through a legal review process.

Banerjee pointed out that the Supreme Court of India had earlier directed that a supplementary electoral roll reflecting the outcomes of such adjudications should be released in a timely manner. He has now urged the Election Commission to go a step further by publishing the updated supplementary list every day based on the progress made in the adjudication process.

In his letter, Banerjee expressed concerns about transparency and procedural clarity in the preparation of the electoral roll ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal. According to him, the Election Commission has not yet issued a clear notification confirming whether voters added through the supplementary electoral roll will automatically be treated as part of the final voter list.

He also alleged that the directive of the Supreme Court of India requiring the publication of supplementary electoral rolls reflecting the outcomes of claims and objections had not been fully implemented. Banerjee argued that the absence of regular updates could raise doubts about the transparency of the electoral process.

Another concern raised in the letter related to the lack of public disclosure of decisions made by authorities handling the adjudication of voter claims and objections. According to Banerjee, the absence of such disclosures makes it difficult for voters to understand how decisions are being made regarding the inclusion or exclusion of their names from the electoral roll.

He further stated that the failure to provide detailed orders explaining why a voter’s name was rejected or removed from the list deprives affected citizens of the opportunity to seek legal remedies or challenge the decision through appropriate channels.

In a statement issued later on Friday evening, the All India Trinamool Congress said its national general secretary had called for immediate corrective steps to ensure transparency and fairness in the electoral process.

“Our National General Secretary has demanded immediate corrective measures to ensure transparency, fairness, and strict adherence to the court’s directives in the electoral process,” the party said in the statement.

The party added that it would continue its efforts to safeguard the democratic rights of voters in West Bengal as preparations gather pace for the state’s 2026 Assembly elections.