Opposition leaders and activists urge SEC to postpone Bengal civic polls until SSR for voter registration is completed

In a memorandum submitted to the SEC, they said that 100% of the Kolkata appeals and 99% of the Howrah appeals dealt with by the Tribunal so far have been decided in favor of inclusion. Photo file | Photo credit: PTI

In its memorandum to the state election commissioner, the delegation requests dates from January 2027; they say about 1.2 million applications for inclusion under the Calcutta Municipal Corporation area are pending before the tribunal

Several opposition leaders and activists met state Election Commissioner Krishna Gupta on Wednesday (October 28, 2026) and urged the postponement of the upcoming West Bengal municipal elections until the ongoing Special Summary Review (SSR) exercise is over.

Also Read: Necessary Remedy: About SSR, Special Summary Review of Electoral Rolls

Amid recent protests across the country against the Special Intensive Review (SIR) and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on 15 October announced the SSR exercise in 17 states and Union Territories to include new voters as well as those left out during the SIR.

The draft SSR is likely to be released on November 12, while the final version will be released on January 4.

Editorial | Necessary correction: On the SSR, a special summary review of electoral lists

However, civic body elections are likely to be held in several municipalities including Kolkata and Howrah, which has left leaders worried.

Citing widespread voter wipeout in the state during the SIR, a delegation of opposition leaders and civil rights groups said about 1.2 million applications for inclusion in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area were pending before the tribunal. The corresponding number is about 39,000 in the jurisdiction of the Howrah Municipal Corporation.

In a memorandum submitted to the SEC, they said that 100% of the Kolkata appeals and 99% of the Howrah appeals dealt with by the Tribunal so far have been decided in favor of inclusion.

“Therefore, exclusion of approximately 1.6 Takh tribunal appellants in KMC and HMC jurisdictions from the electoral roll for the above municipal corporations or municipal elections would remove them for the second time, after the assembly elections,” the delegation said in its memorandum to Mr. Gupta.

They urged the SEC to conduct the elections to the civic bodies only after the completion of the SSR exercise on January 4 or any other extended date decided by the ECI. Meanwhile, they have also asked the SEC to exercise its statutory powers and include the names of all the appellants of the tribunal in the electoral rolls of KMC and HMC and other urban corporations or municipalities for elections.

The letter contained the signatures of Congress president Subhankar Sarkar, MP Saugata Roy, former Rajya Sabha MP Jawahar Sircar, Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) leader Palash Ghosh, lawyer and activist Avik Saha, economist Prasenjit Bose, human rights activist Sujato Bhadra, etc.

Published – 29 Oct 2026 11:59 IST