Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, May 11: The Supreme Court on Monday asked former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and others to file fresh petitions concerning allegations that the BJP’s victory margins in several constituencies were lower than the number of votes deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the recently concluded Assembly elections.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submissions made during the hearing.

Senior advocate and Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee alleged that in 31 Assembly constituencies, the BJP’s margin of victory was lower than the number of votes removed from the electoral rolls during the revision exercise.

The Election Commission of India opposed the submissions, arguing that the appropriate legal remedy was an election petition. The poll panel maintained that issues related to the SIR process, including appeals against addition or deletion of names in electoral rolls, could be addressed through established legal mechanisms.

In the recently concluded Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party secured 207 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, while the All India Trinamool Congress won 80 seats.

The state recorded a voter turnout of over 90 per cent in the elections.

The apex court was hearing a batch of petitions, including one filed by Mamata Banerjee, challenging the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the state.