The Supreme Court told the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) that it can file fresh pleas over claims that the victory margin in the 2026 West Bengal elections was less than the number of votes deleted during the SIR process.
The observation was made during the hearing of a long-pending case concerning the Election Commission’s voter roll revision exercise in West Bengal, which had sparked intense political controversy ahead of the Assembly elections and later became a key basis for the Trinamool Congress’ allegations of electoral manipulation following its defeat to the BJP.
Senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee, appearing for the TMC, argued in the court that the winning margin against TMC was less than the than the number of voters removed during the SIR adjudication process.
Kalyan Banerjee argued that in at least 31 Assembly constituencies, the number of voters deleted or excluded during the SIR process was higher than the eventual victory margin, raising serious concerns about the fairness and potential impact of the exercise on the poll outcome.
Opposing the submissions, the Election Commission told the Supreme Court that disputes relating to election results could only be challenged through election petitions after the declaration of results, and not through wider constitutional challenges to the SIR exercise.
Without expressing any conclusive view on the allegations, the court observed that affected candidates and political parties were at liberty to file fresh pleas or avail remedies provided under election laws.
During the previous hearing, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said that he was pleased, as a citizen, to witness a high voter turnout, noting that public participation is essential to the democratic process.
He further observed that when people recognise the power of their vote within a democracy and abide by the rule of law, they refrain from resorting to violence.
“People realise their power in a democracy their power of vote and they follow the rule of law. then they don’t indulge in violence,” CJI said.
The SIR exercise in West Bengal had become one of the most politically contentious issues ahead of the Assembly elections, with Mamata Banerjee repeatedly alleging that the Election Commission was carrying out “selective deletions” and trying to disenfranchise voters in the name of electoral revision.
