On Monday, the Supreme Court of India directed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to file separate applications concerning allegations that the outcome of the recent West Bengal assembly elections was significantly impacted by voter deletions during the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise. The court was hearing multiple pleas challenging the SIR process when TMC representative Kalyan Bandhopadhyay claimed that in at least 31 constituencies won by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the margin of victory was lower than the number of deleted voters. He noted that approximately 3.5 million appeals against these deletions remain pending before appellate tribunals, raising concerns about the electoral integrity. The Election Commission of India (ECI) countered that any legal challenge to election results should be pursued through formal election petitions by losing candidates, rather than through ongoing writ petitions. The court acknowledged the need for an independent assessment of the situation and emphasized the importance of addressing the pending appeals swiftly. The SIR exercise, which led to the deletion of nearly 9 million voters from electoral rolls, has been one of the most controversial electoral revisions in recent years, particularly due to its unique classification criteria for West Bengal. The court will further evaluate the implications of these deletions once the TMC submits detailed applications.