The Election Commission of India has reached out to the West Bengal government for clarification regarding the inclusion of Group-C state government employees in a list of 8,505 Group-B officers meant for deployment as micro-observers during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Nearly 30% of the names in the list are Group-C employees labeled as Group-B officers due to recent pay upgrades, prompting questions about this elevation.
In addition to this issue, the Commission highlighted that approximately 500 officers from the submitted list are already serving as Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) in the voter revision process. The decision to assign them as micro-observers has raised concerns as their roles differ from those of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and AEROs.
Amidst the uncertainty surrounding the status of officers in the list, with doubts about their deployment in the revision exercise, concerns arise as the final voters’ list publication draws near in just 14 days. The rank discrepancies among the officers remain a key point of contention as the revision process nears its conclusion.
