Confusion has surrounded the publication of West Bengal's first supplementary electoral roll, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) admitting it had no data on the number of deletions following adjudication till Tuesday evening.
Voters and candidates whose names were under adjudication struggled to access the list, sparking sharp criticism from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and opposition parties.
The ECI's chief electoral officer, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, said the list was published with whatever data they had received from judicial officers appointed by the Calcutta high court, but acknowledged that they couldn't determine how many names had been deleted.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the timing and transparency of the list's publication, while Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury expressed concerns about the lack of finalization of the voters' list and the availability of tribunals for appeals.
Candidates reported technical issues accessing the list, with some finding relief as their names were cleared, while others alleged irregularities and demanded that the SIR process be scrapped.
