In a fresh set of directions, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the setting up of independent appellate tribunals, headed by former high court judges, to hear appeals against exclusions from voter lists during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose resigned on March 5, 2026, just weeks before the state’s Assembly elections. While Bose cited “sufficient time served” as his reason, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged the move resulted from central pressure. Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi has been named to take over the post, sparking a fresh row over federal cooperation.
A sharp exchange of words has erupted between West Bengal Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal. After the CEO lectured officials on “service rules,” the Minister hit back by citing a past CBI chargesheet involving his family’s assets. Mr. Agarwal has dismissed the claims as an attempt to “give a dog a bad name and hang him,” pointing to a court acquittal and decades of transparent tax filings.
Two days after the final electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was published in West Bengal, the Union Home Ministry on Monday (March 2, 2026) notified two more empowered committees to fast-track citizenship applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Under the strict oversight of the Supreme Court, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is finalizing the list for West Bengal’s electoral future. Set for publication this Saturday, February 28, 2026, the updated roll for over 7 crore citizens will move beyond a simple list of names, instead acting as a high-stakes clearance ledger. By segregating every entry into Approved, Deleted, or Adjudication status, the Commission is effectively filtering the state’s massive voter base through a judicial sieve to resolve “trust deficits” and technical discrepancies identified during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Sumitra Chattopadhyay, a fifth-generation descendant of littérateur Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, on Thursday (February 26, 2026) joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The development comes ahead of Assembly elections in West Bengal when the BJP is highlighting the contribution of Chattopadhyay and the song Vande Mataram written by him.Mr. Chattopadhyay, a former official with the State Labour Department, was formally welcomed into the party by BJP State president Samik Bhattacharya and Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav.
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on Tuesday (February 24, 2026) alleged that a high-level meeting convened to take forward the SIR process in West Bengal, as mandated by the Supreme Court, was attended by unauthorised persons, including former Chief Secretary Manoj Pant.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Tuesday that the party would undertake ‘Parivartan Rath Yatras’ in West Bengal as part of its campaigning for the upcoming Assembly polls.
