Kolkata, Oct. 29 -- A delegation of Opposition leaders, activists and civil rights groups on Wednesday urged state Election Commissioner Krishna Gupta to defer the upcoming civic polls in Bengal until the completion of the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SSR) exercise, seeking January 2027 dates for the elections.
In a memorandum submitted to the SEC, the delegation highlighted that around 1.2 lakh appeals seeking inclusion in the electoral rolls within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area are pending before the Tribunal. The corresponding figure for the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) jurisdiction stands at around 39,000.
The delegation pointed out that 100 per cent of the appeals disposed of by the Tribunal in Kolkata and 99 per cent in Howrah have so far been decided in favour of inclusion.
The demand comes amid protests across the country over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
On October 15, the Election Commission of India announced the SSR exercise across 17 states and Union Territories to include new voters and those left out during the SIR.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.