Mamata Banerjee ends dharna after SC opens door for appeal on voter list revision

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday temporarily suspended her five-day dharna against alleged flaws in the voter list revision exercise, welcoming the Supreme Court’s direction to set up an appellate authority for grievances arising from the process.

The protest, organised in Kolkata by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) , highlighted concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party had alleged that numerous genuine voters were either deleted or placed under scrutiny due to what officials described as “logical discrepancies” during the exercise.

Announcing the suspension, Banerjee said the court’s intervention opened a new path for affected voters , providing a platform that the Election Commission had previously not offered to challenge decisions regarding deletion or non-inclusion of names in the electoral rolls. She described the order as “a victory for the people of Bengal” , while clarifying that the dharna was being lifted only temporarily , with the TMC set to monitor developments closely.

The apex court has directed the creation of an independent appellate authority , functioning as a tribunal where citizens can file appeals if their names are rejected, deleted, or under objection during the revision exercise. The body will be headed by senior judicial figures, including retired judges from the Calcutta High Court and neighbouring High Courts, ensuring impartial and legally supervised adjudication. It will have the power to review decisions of electoral officers, hear evidence from voters, and order restoration or inclusion of names in the rolls where warranted.

The mechanism aims to provide fair resolution of disputes and prevent wrongful disenfranchisement, a concern raised repeatedly by political parties. Banerjee had warned that without proper safeguards, the SIR process could deprive many citizens of their voting rights. With the appellate system now in place, attention is expected to shift toward how effectively grievances are addressed .

The dharna ended on the day a full bench of the Election Commission concluded its two-day visit to West Bengal to review poll preparedness ahead of upcoming elections. While the agitation is paused, the TMC leadership has emphasized that it will closely track the implementation of the appellate authority and the broader voter roll revision process in the state.