5 min readKolkataApr 14, 2026 07:37 AM IST
First published on: Apr 14, 2026 at 05:16 AM IST
Clad in a white kurta-pyjama, 87-year-old Manmatha Nath Bhowmik stands outside the Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation at Joka near Kolkata, clutching a plastic folder, and carrying a bag slung sideways. His eyes, clouded with age and distress, are scanning the Central force deployment at the gates of the institute, where the 19 tribunals to hear appeals of the 27 lakh “deleted” from the final voting list in West Bengal are to sit.
Bhowmik has come alone. “My name was removed from the voter list, and the Booth Level Officer called my son, telling him I had to come here today.” His voice cracks and finally dissolves into tears. “I’m anxious. No one understands the fear… What if I am sent back to Bangladesh?”
Once again on Monday, Bhowmik got no answer. The guards turned him away, saying the work had not begun.
Makeshift wating area for deleated voters just adjacent area of Temporary Tribunal office. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
However, the heavy security was one indication that the tribunals, headed by high court judges or chief justices, which are to decide the case of voters whose names have been deleted after adjudication, are stirring into action.
Speaking to the media Monday, Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal said: “Our Additional CEO Vibhu Goel was there (at the institute). He said that out of the 19 judges, 16 started work today.”
Manmatha Nath Bhowmik has citizenship papers from 1959. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
About the number of applications received, Agarwal said: “We do not have the dashboard related to that yet. In two-three days, once the work is streamlined and the SoP is ready, only then will we be able to say how many applications, online and offline, have been submitted.”
At the Joka institute, police escorted vehicles with beacons through the gates as well as monitored the traffic outside, while Central forces kept watch. The Malda incident where an angry crowd gheraoed judicial officers during the adjudication process has put everyone on edge, particularly as voting dates of April 23 and 29 draw near.
Makeshift wating area for deleated voters just adjacent area of Temporary Tribunal office. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
A police official said: “Seventeen judges have arrived for the preliminary briefings. At least 15 rooms on the first floor have been readied.”
The Public Works Department is putting up a big tent on the grounds, with JCB machines levelling the earth and laying cement and bricks for the thousands of applicants expected to start lining up. A separate waiting zone is being created to hold 500 people at a time. Pedestal fans and drinking water dispensers have been requisitioned, along with Xerox machines for any last-minute documentation.
Makeshift wating area for deleated voters just adjacent area of Temporary Tribunal office. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
Outside, road vendors were preparing for the surge too. Robin Halder, a local tea seller, said: “I’m planning to stock up on Maggi, eggs and snacks.”
Earlier the expectation was that people who have been deleted would get a chance to present their case before the tribunals. The ECI has now told voters to make their applications online, or to approach their District Magistrate or Collectorate offices to submit applications physically.
But the fear of what is coming means there are many like Bhowmik who feel it is safer coming to the tribunal themselves.
Makeshift wating area for deleated voters just adjacent area of Temporary Tribunal office. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
The 87-year-old talks about how his family migrated from Bangladesh in 1959 – Bhowmik has a citizenship certificate issued by a magistrate on the family’s arrival. He worked for over 40 years at the Calcutta Port Trust before retirement, receives a pension from the authority, and has been a voter for nearly half a century from Behala Purba, South 24 Parganas district, he says.
“At this age,” Bhowmik adds, “I don’t need anything. Just my peace of mind and a sound sleep.”
