Assembly elections LIVE: EC publishes 8th supplementary list in West Bengal, 52 lakh cases disposed of

The Election Commission handed over the investigation into the gherao of seven judicial officers involved in the Special Intensive Revision exercise in West Bengal’s Malda to the NIA as the incident dragged the state into fresh turmoil and TMC and BJP blamed each other in the matter.

While Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the poll panel of inciting unrest to facilitate the President’s rule in the poll-bound state, the BJP alleged that the TMC staged the protest on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, to protect “fake voters”.

As political clashes intensified and the Supreme Court moved to condemn the state government over the Malda incident, the agitation against the SIR of voter rolls spread across districts on Thursday, with just three weeks left for the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections.

Protesters burned tires, blocked roads and held silent marches in Malda, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Purba Bardhaman, where voting will be held on April 23.

– PTI