12 years to clear. And only 19 tribunals working on them. West Bengal’s voter roll revision has turned into a legal marathon; and the Election Commission is sounding the alarm. Right now, over 37 lakh people are waiting to find out if their names stay on the voter list. At the current pace, it’ll take more than a decade to clear the backlog. What’s wild? 90% of the appeals decided so far have resulted in names being restored. That means for most, the SIR process may have been an unnecessary hurdle. The EC wants 42 new tribunals; one for each parliamentary seat; to speed things up. They’re arguing that using deletion numbers to question election results is misleading. But with so many people in limbo, the delay itself is becoming a political story. This isn’t just a paperwork issue. It’s about who gets to vote; and when. And 12 years is way too long to wait for that answer.