Election Commission Refutes Form 6 Manipulation Allegations in West Bengal

MP, Kolkata, April 2, 2026: The Election Commission of India on Wednesday night released the 7th supplementary voter list for West Bengal, amid heightened scrutiny ahead of the Assembly elections. Sources within the Commission revealed that over 10 lakh names are yet to be adjudicated, leaving many voters in limbo.

Earlier, Mahua Moitra accused the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal of selectively processing Form 6 applications through the system backend, alleging automatic approvals via ERO login. The CEO’s office, however, rejected these claims, calling them “false and institutionalised” and stating that Moitra was “shooting in the dark.”

State CEO Manoj Agarwal clarified that only Form 6 applications submitted by March 27 would be considered for inclusion in the voter list. Applications submitted after that date will not appear in the rolls. “No voter list will be updated after April 6, so only those whose names figure in the list up to April 6 will be able to vote. Changes can be made only under judicial directions,” a senior official from the CEO’s office said.

Moitra further alleged that names from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh could be improperly added to West Bengal’s rolls, questioning the CEO’s role in processing Form 6 applications and noting that appeals cannot be made through Form 6. She clarified that Form 6 submissions can be made online, offline, or in bulk by BLA2s (Booth Level Agents) to BLOs, with a maximum of 50 applications per agent. Appeals are to be filed before tribunals headed by judges deputed by the Calcutta High Court, not the CEO.

Responding, the CEO’s office stated that several applications from 107 Noapara Assembly Constituency included appeals against deleted entries in the final roll published on February 28, as well as Form 6 submissions made online more than 10 days before the last nomination date. System-generated acknowledgements were issued for expedited disposal by EROs. The office reiterated that all appeals against adjudication orders are to be filed with the Appellate Tribunals.