WB Polls: Legal recourse for voter list deletions, says Suvendu Adhikari

BJP's Suvendu Adhikari said citizens wrongly removed from voter lists in West Bengal can approach ECI tribunals. He is set to face CM Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur and will also contest from Nandigram in the upcoming two-phase assembly polls.

Leader of the Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday emphasised that a legal recourse exists for any legitimate citizens affected by the deletions of their names in Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Speaking to the media, he said, "Those who believe that their names have been wrongly deleted may go to the tribunal," Adhikari stated, referring to the Appellate Tribunals set up by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the State for the purpose of final adjudication of applicants (who have either been excluded or included front the voter list).

Adhikari vs Banerjee Electoral Contest

His remark comes amid high political tension as West Bengal prepares for a two-phase assembly election on April 23 and 29, with counting of votes on May 4. Adhikari is contesting the two-phase West Bengal assembly polls on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket from Bhabanipur and Nandigram constituencies.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost the Nandigram seat in the 2021 assembly elections against Adhikari, but later secured victory in the Bhabanipur by-election against Priyanka Tibrewal.

This time, the West Bengal elections will see a face-off between Adhikari and Banerjee for the Bhabanipur seat, while Adhikari will also try to retain Nandigram.

2021 Election Flashback

In the last assembly election in the state, held in eight phases in 2021, the Trinamool Congress recorded a landslide victory with 213 seats amid an intense contest with the BJP, which jumped to 77 seats. Congress and Left Front drew a blank in the last state polls.

However, in the 2021 state Assembly elections, despite a high voter turnout of 84.7%, the Trinamool Congress retained power, though it saw a slight dip in its total seat count, winning 213 seats with 48.5% of the vote share. The BJP saw a significant improvement in its performance, jumping from three seats in 2016 to 77 seats with 38.5% of the vote share. Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress witnessed a sharp decline, winning only one seat with 1.6% of the vote share. (ANI)

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