The Election Commission of India (ECI) in West Bengal has changed the duties of micro-observers overseeing the review of claims and objections related to the voters’ list. Initially, these observers monitored the conduct of hearing sessions at various centers to ensure compliance with ECI guidelines. However, starting Monday, they will verify if the identity documents provided by voters during the sessions are correctly uploaded as per ECI directives.
The micro-observers will be responsible for ensuring that only documents approved by the Commission are uploaded as supporting identity proofs. They will act as the initial filter, with special roll observers conducting a secondary check to identify cases where unapproved documents have been uploaded. This decision was made during a virtual meeting involving the ECI full bench, officials from the CEO’s office, and special roll observers.
The ECI emphasized that all hearing sessions and document uploads must be completed by the specified deadline of February 7. The final voters’ list for West Bengal is set to be released on February 14. Following this, the ECI’s full bench will visit Kolkata to announce the polling dates for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, including the review of the draft voters’ list, has been ongoing in 12 states and Union Territories since November 4, including West Bengal.
