Kolkata (Gurpreet Singh): The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to publish the first supplementary voters’ list for the poll-bound state of West Bengal on the evening of Monday, March 23, 2026. This release follows an extensive Special Institutional Review (SIR) exercise aimed at resolving the status of approximately 60 lakh entries that were marked as “under adjudication” during the publication of the final electoral roll on February 28. Officials confirmed on Sunday that the adjudication process for 27 lakh of these cases has been completed, and their status will be transparently reflected in the new list.
To ensure judicial rigour, the Commission engaged 705 judicial officers to oversee the inclusion or exclusion of names based on rigorous verification standards. Once released, the supplementary list will be distributed to district election officers and displayed at polling booths across the state before being made available on the official ECI website. This phased roll-out is intended to provide voters with immediate access to their status ahead of the high-stakes Assembly elections.
In anticipation of the publication, the West Bengal Home and Hill Affairs Department has issued a high-alert directive to all district magistrates and police commissioners. The state government has called for strict vigil at vulnerable points and robust crowd control measures to maintain law and order. Security has been particularly tightened in sensitive locations to prevent any potential unrest related to the addition or removal of names from the rolls.
The 294-member West Bengal Assembly is scheduled to go to the polls in two phases on April 23 and April 29, 2026. With the counting of votes set for May 4, the publication of this supplementary list is a critical final step in ensuring a credible and updated electoral database. The remaining 33 lakh cases still under adjudication are expected to be processed in subsequent updates before the commencement of polling.
