Stories
ECI Rejects TMC's Claim on Voter Deletions Impacting Bengal Poll Results
- •The Election Commission of India (ECI) has refuted the Trinamool Congress's (TMC) assertion that voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls led to their loss in 31 West Bengal assembly constituencies.
- •The ECI clarified to the Supreme Court that the figures cited by the opposition improperly combined routine removals (Absentee, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate) with judicial adjudications.
- •According to the ECI, once routine removals are separated, the number of adjudicated deletions in contested seats falls below the actual victory margins.
- •The ECI highlighted a flaw in the TMC's 'margin test,' noting that in 21 seats won by TMC, adjudicated deletions also exceeded the winning margin, suggesting the premise is flawed.
- •The ECI emphasized that election results cannot be overturned solely based on alleged electoral roll defects, citing Article 329(b) and stating that challenges must proceed via formal election petitions under the Representation of the People Act.
Key Questions Answered
The Election Commission of India rejected assertions that voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision caused the Trinamool Congress to lose 31 assembly seats. In its Supreme Court response, the ECI stated that opposition figures improperly combined routine removals with formal judicial adjudications.
Applying the margin-versus-deletion test consistently, the ECI pointed out that in 21 assembly seats won by Trinamool candidates, the number of adjudicated deletions similarly exceeded the winning margin. Constituencies such as Sitai, Samserganj, and Lalgola saw victory gaps significantly smaller than the volume of adjudicated exclusions.
Under Article 329(b) and established legal precedents, election results cannot be set aside merely on alleged defects within electoral rolls. Any challenge to an election outcome must proceed strictly through formal election petitions filed under the Representation of the People Act.
