Desk Correspondent , Kolkata – West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee filed her nomination papers from Kolkata’s Bhabanipur constituency on Wednesday for the upcoming assembly polls, even as her Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced it would approach the Supreme Court against the Election Commission’s freeze on the electoral roll. Banerjee said the freeze had led to the deletion of thousands of names, denying citizens their voting rights ahead of the second-phase polling on April 29. She expressed sadness over the exclusions and vowed to seek justice through the apex court, claiming the move unfairly targeted the state.

The TMC leader, who personally argued a related petition in February, revealed that around 3.2 million of six million doubtful cases were added to the voter list after her Supreme Court intervention, but the remaining 2.7 million were still excluded due to the freeze. “I am saddened. Several voters have been deleted,” Banerjee said. She questioned the logic of the freeze, asking what purpose post-poll inclusions would serve since those voters would not be able to cast ballots during the April 23-29 elections. In Bhabanipur alone, over 44,000 names were dropped from the draft roll.

Banerjee faces a tough contest from BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari, a former ally who defeated her in Nandigram in 2021. Despite the row, the TMC expressed confidence in retaining power in the state. Voters whose names were deleted can still appeal through tribunals, as per earlier court directives, but the party insists the freeze must be challenged to ensure democratic fairness.