SDPI Marches to Chief Electoral Officer’s Office in Kolkata Demanding Hearings for ‘Under Adjudication’ Voters in Their Presence

March 4, 2026, Kolkata: Today, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) organized a protest march and campaign from in front of the T Board in Kolkata to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal. Later, a party delegation submitted a deputation at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer under the Election Commission. A sit-in protest was also held in front of the office.

The delegation included: State President Hakikul Islam, General Secretary Dr. Kamal Basirujjaman, Hasibul Islam, and State Organising General Secretary Suman Mondal.

The main demand of the campaign was the swift and fair resolution of the ongoing issues related to SIR. Party representatives stated that 6 million voters in the state have been marked as “Under Adjudication,” which they described as contrary to the transparency of the democratic process and the integrity of the electoral system.

SDPI’s key demands:
1) All voters currently listed as “Under Adjudication” must be included in the final electoral roll before the announcement of the Assembly elections.

2) Voters who have proper linkage but are still marked as “Under Adjudication” in the final list must be approved immediately.

3) Hearings of voters marked as “Under Adjudication” must be conducted in the presence of the concerned voters.

4) In cases of LD, documents issued by the government or government-authorized institutions, beyond those specified by the Election Commission of India (ECI), must be accepted.

5) Voters must not be kept “Under Adjudication” due to variations in spelling of names (such as Sk/Sekh/Seikh/Shaikh; Kumar/Kr.; Molla/Mollah; Mukherjee/Mukhopadhyay; Chatterjee/Chattopadhyay, etc.); if the pronunciation is the same, it should be considered acceptable.

6) Women must not be placed “Under Adjudication” due to a change of surname after marriage (for example, from Khatun to Bibi, or in the case of Hindu women adopting their husband’s surname).

7) No one should be marked “Under Adjudication” solely on the basis of their last name.

8) Those whose names appeared in the 2002 voter list but have been placed “Under Adjudication” for name correction must be approved immediately.

At the sit-in protest held in front of the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, State President Hakikul Islam declared:
“No election can be conducted by excluding voters who are under adjudication. Hearings for such voters must be conducted in their presence.”
Meanwhile, State Secretary Masudul Islam warned:
“Six million people, along with their families and fellow villagers, will soon take to the streets to demand answers from the Election Commission.”