Overview

The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has moved the Supreme Court seeking relief over deletions made during the SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal. The party alleges that the number of voters removed exceeds the winning margins of the BJP in several constituencies, potentially altering the 2026 assembly results.

Key Developments

Senior Advocate Kalyan Bandhopadhyay represented AITC before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymlaya Bagchi.
In 31 constituencies, the BJP’s winning margin was less than the number of voters deleted in the SIR process.
One constituency showed a loss of 862 votes for AITC against a deletion of 5,432 voters.
The total vote gap between AITC and BJP across the state is claimed to be about 32 lakh votes, with 35 lakh appeals pending before the appellate tribunals.
The bench directed AITC to file an Interlocutory Application with detailed data.
Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy warned that, at the current pace, the tribunals could take **four years** to clear the backlog.
The Election Commission, through Senior Advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, suggested filing an election petition as the proper remedy.

Important Facts

• The AITC’s claim rests on the principle that if the number of deleted voters exceeds the margin of victory,