Happy to see no violence: SC notes peaceful voting in Bengal, praises high turnout

The Supreme Court commended West Bengal's record 92.88 per cent turnout in Phase 1 and praised the peaceful, violence-free conduct of polling.

In Short

• West Bengal records a 92.88% voter turnout in Phase 1 polls
• Supreme Court praises higher voter participation
• Also notes peaceful polls, saying people realise power of their vote

The Supreme Court on Friday, while hearing a plea related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), lauded the record voter turnout in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections held on Thursday, and expressed satisfaction that polling concluded without any violence.

West Bengal, which went to polls after the publication of the SIR that has deleted over 82 lakh voters, recorded a historic turnout of 92.88 per cent, which was the highest in the state since Independence.

"As a citizen of India, I was very happy to see the voting percentage. When people exercise their right to vote, this strengthens the democratic set up," the Chief Justice Surya Kant remarked.

When Senior Advocate Kalyan Banerjee pointed out the high turnout during the hearing, the Chief Justice noted, “If people realise the power of their vote, they do not indulge in violence.”

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also commended the turnout, calling 92 per cent “historic” and noting that the election was largely peaceful, barring a few incidents.

To this, Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed, “Rajaye rajaye juddho hoye, kulo kangrar jaan jaye” (wars are fought between kings, but it is the common people who lose their lives).

According to data shared by the Election Commission of India, the previous highest turnout was 84.72 per cent in the 2011 Assembly elections.

Women voters outnumbered men in Thursday’s polling, with female turnout at 92.69 per cent compared to 90.92 per cent among male electors. The turnout among third-gender voters stood at 56.79 per cent.

The Election Commission attributed the surge in participation to a range of voter-friendly measures, including improved voter information slips, fewer electors per polling booth, and enhanced assistance for persons with disabilities.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a plea filed by several individuals, including around 65 election duty officers, whose names were struck off the voter list during the SIR in West Bengal.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi held that the petitioners would not be allowed to vote in the ongoing elections. However, the court directed them to approach the appellate tribunals constituted pursuant to its earlier order to hear challenges to voter list deletions.

- Ends