The Election Commission of India (ECI) has outlined the responsibilities of District Magistrates (DMs) in West Bengal. DMs, who also serve as District Electoral Officers (DEOs), are tasked with verifying the authenticity of identity documents submitted by voters attending hearings on claims and objections regarding the draft voters’ list. A meeting was held with top ECI officials, including Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharati and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, to establish accountabilities and provide instructions.
A special app will be introduced for DMs and DEOs to conduct the final verification of supporting identity documents. The Commission has mandated a two-level verification process for the authenticity of documents, with the DMs playing a crucial role in the final clearance of documents. DMs and DEOs are required to only accept the 13 identity documents specified by the Commission.
DEOs must seek prior approval from the ECI for accepting alternative documents as valid identity proofs in exceptional cases. Furthermore, DEOs are responsible for ensuring that no booth-level agents of any political party are present during the hearing sessions on claims and objections. They are also accountable for preventing any disruptions during these sessions.
If any forged document is mistakenly accepted as genuine due to negligence, the concerned DEOs will be held responsible. Deliberate errors may impact the Annual Confidential Report (ACR) of the officials involved. The draft voters’ list was released on December 16, with the final list scheduled for publication on February 14 next year. Subsequently, the ECI will announce the polling dates for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal.
