The Election Commission of India has asked the West Bengal government to explain the delay in registering FIRs against four electoral officers accused of voter enrollment manipulation in two Assembly constituencies. The Commission has given a 72-hour deadline for a response from the state government. Last week, the ECI rejected the state government’s request to withdraw the order for disciplinary action against the officers, emphasizing the seriousness of the issue.
Two of the officers under scrutiny are Debottam Dutta Chowdhury, the Electoral Registration Officer of Baruipur East Assembly constituency, and Tathagata Mandal, the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer in the same constituency. The other two officers are Biplob Sarkar, the ERO of Moyna Assembly constituency, and Sudipta Das, the AERO of the same constituency. The ECI had previously instructed West Bengal to suspend these officers and file FIRs against them.
Despite the suspension of the officers, the FIRs were not lodged as directed by the ECI. The Commission subsequently instructed the district magistrates to ensure the FIRs were filed. However, the state government attempted to retract the disciplinary action order, leading to a standoff between the ECI and the West Bengal government. The officers were accused of tampering with the voters’ list, prompting the ECI to demand their suspension and the filing of FIRs.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the ECI’s actions, accusing the poll body of bias. She vowed not to take action against the accused officers, sparking a contentious situation between the state government and the Election Commission.
