WB Polls: EC Clears 52 Lakh Cases, Issues 8th Voter List

In a bid to ensure a “clean and inclusive” electoral roll for the high-stakes West Bengal Assembly Elections, the Election Commission of India (EC) has published the 8th Supplementary Voter List. This is a historic moment since the EC has successfully disposed of approximately 52 lakh pending cases of voter claims and objections.

The EC, with the Supreme Court keeping a close eye on the process, has undertaken an unprecedented Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Out of an initial list of approximately 60 lakh cases awaiting adjudication due to massive logical discrepancies and “unmapped” entries, the EC, with the help of hundreds of judicial officers, has successfully cleared nearly 87% of the backlog.

• Total Cases Disposed: 52 Lakh+
• Process Duration: Intensive 24/7 adjudication over the last month.
• Verification: Multi-level scrutiny of EPIC numbers, physical addresses, and historical data.

Transparency and Security Concerns
The disposal of this enormous number of cases has not been without problems, however. Even though the EC is committed to transparency and using technology to weed out the “ghost voters” from the rolls, this process has not been without significant political opposition. 

Just a few days ago, in districts like Malda and Kaliachak, judicial officers were even confined by protesting voters. In response to this, the Supreme Court censured the state government, and now the EC has deployed more security personnel and set up 19 Appellate Tribunals to dispose of any last-minute appeals from voters whose names have been deleted from the rolls. 

Now that the first phase of polling is to take place on April 23, 2026, this 8th list is seen as one of the final updates to the electoral rolls before voters head to the polls. 

• Check Online: Voters are encouraged to check their names online through the CEO West Bengal website using their EPIC number.
• Next Steps: The remaining 8 lakh cases are expected to be decided in the next 48 hours.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal reiterated that the goal is to provide a “zero-error” list, ensuring that no genuine citizen is disenfranchised while maintaining the sanctity of the democratic process.