The Election Commission of India has appointed four additional roll observers to oversee the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal. These observers have been given two specific tasks. Firstly, they will verify the identity documents submitted by voters with “logical discrepancies” during the claims and objections hearings on the draft voters’ list. They will determine the validity of these documents.
Sources from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal revealed that the Commission initially instructed a two-stage check of identity documents for cases of “logical discrepancy, first by the electoral registration officers (ERO) and then by the District Magistrates, who also serve as District Electoral Officers. However, it has now been decided that there will be a three-stage verification process, with the special roll observers conducting the final check.
The second task assigned to these special roll observers is to ensure that the micro-observers appointed by the ECI are adhering to the guidelines set by the poll panel to facilitate smooth functioning of the hearing sessions. The aim is to guarantee that genuine voters are included while bogus voters are excluded.
The Election Commission recently announced the appointment of four more special electoral roll observers for West Bengal. These observers, all serving Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, include Ratan Biswas, Vikas Sinha, Sailesh, and Sandeep Rathore. Notably, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed concerns to the Chief Election Commissioner, alleging that the ongoing voter list revision in the state is focused on deleting existing voter names rather than rectifying errors or adding new voters.
