ECI extends Bengal voter roll revision hearings deadline

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday, 10 February pushed back the deadline for hearings under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, extending the process until 14 February. It also rescheduled the publication of the final voter lists to 28 February. The decision followed a formal appeal from the state’s chief electoral officer (CEO), sent on 7 February, which cited unfinished work and requested additional time.

The revision comes against the backdrop of a broader legal confrontation over the exercise, including the personal intervention of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee before the Supreme Court. Banerjee sought permission to appear and argue her own petition challenging aspects of the SIR process, contending that the revision risked disenfranchising legitimate voters and urging that elections be conducted on the basis of existing rolls rather than newly revised lists.

Her appearance on 4 February marked a rare moment in which a sitting chief minister addressed the apex court directly, even as she remained represented by senior counsel, and she alleged that the exercise was being used to exclude rather than correct voter records.

A day before the ECI’s extension announcement, the Supreme Court directed the Commission to lengthen the SIR schedule by at least a week.

In its order dated 9 February, the court observed that reviewing documentation submitted by individuals responding to official notices was likely to require more time than originally anticipated. Echoing submissions made by certain petitioners, the bench directed that electoral registration officers (EROs) and assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) be allowed at least one week beyond 14 February to complete their examination of records and reach decisions.

'Since the process of scrutinising documents submitted by affected people in response to notices served on them is likely to take longer than anticipated… we direct that at least one week beyond 14.02.2026 be granted to the EROs/AEROs to complete the scrutiny of the documents and take an appropriate decision,' the order stated.

The intervention was welcomed by West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress, which described the Supreme Court’s move in relation to the SIR exercise as a significant win for West Bengal.

The ruling — issued by a division bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and N.V. Anjaria — alongside the CEO’s representation and communication from the state office, ultimately led the ECI to revise the timeline.

An official notification sent by the ECI to the West Bengal CEO confirmed the change, noting that the schedule had been amended in line with the court’s directions.

Under the updated calendar, 14 February has been fixed as the new deadline for completing SIR hearings, while scrutiny of documents and final disposal of cases is slated for 21 February. The publication of the definitive electoral rolls is now set for 28 February.

Previously, authorities had aimed to conclude hearings by 7 February and release the updated rolls by 14 February.

According to the West Bengal CEO’s office, the revision exercise has entered its closing stage, with only around 3–5 per cent of hearings yet to be completed. Nevertheless, roughly a quarter of the work involving document uploads and digitisation remains outstanding — a backlog that prompted local officials to seek an extension through CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal.

More than 94.49 lakh individuals were summoned for hearings under the category of logical discrepancies. Additionally, over 31.68 lakh voters categorised as 'unmapped' were also called upon to appear.

Authorities have indicated that those who fail to attend their hearings within the newly extended timeframe risk having their names excluded from the final electoral rolls for 2026.

With PTI inputs