Nearly 19,000 West Bengal voters barred from bypoll as tribunal vacancies persist

Nearly 19,000 voters in West Bengal face exclusion from upcoming bypolls due to unresolved appeals pending before the Election Commission's Appellate Tribunals, as critical vacancies continue to hamper the adjudication process.

Of the 19 Appellate Tribunals established by the Election Commission in March, only 16 remain operational. Three retired judges—Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, Justice Ranjit Bag, and Justice Indrajit Chatterjee—have stepped down from their tribunal assignments, citing various functional difficulties. The resignation of these judges has left three tribunal benches without presiding officers, creating a significant backlog in voter appeals.

The vacant positions have gone unfilled, leaving the Election Commission unable to expedite the resolution of pending cases. Voters whose appeals remain unaddressed cannot participate in the bypolls until their matters are adjudicated, effectively disenfranchising a substantial section of the electorate in the state.

The staffing crisis underscores growing challenges in the administration of electoral dispute resolution mechanisms in India. The Election Commission has yet to announce steps to fill the vacancies or expedite the tribunal proceedings to accommodate the affected voters before the scheduled bypolls.