The Election Commission of India has named four new special roll observers for West Bengal to oversee the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the state. These observers, all serving Indian Administrative Service officers, are tasked with reviewing claims and objections on the draft voters’ list. Among them are Ratan Biswas, Vikas Sinha, Sailesh, and Sandeep Rathore.
West Bengal currently has 16 ECI-appointed roll observers, including Subrata Gupta, a retired IAS officer. Additionally, over 3,500 micro-observers, mainly Central government employees, have been appointed to monitor the process of addressing claims and objections in the state’s voters’ list.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has raised concerns to the Chief Election Commissioner about the revision process, alleging that it aims to exclude existing voters rather than rectifying errors or adding new voters. The Commission’s decision to appoint more special roll observers reportedly stems from concerns over certain district officials not adhering to ECI guidelines for the revision exercise.
The draft voters’ list for West Bengal was released on December 16, with the final list scheduled for publication on February 14. Following this, the Election Commission will announce the polling dates for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.
