The Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to add 2,000 micro-observers to oversee the hearing session on claims and objections concerning the draft voters’ list in West Bengal. These new micro-observers will supplement the existing 4,500 micro-observers appointed by the Commission for this task. They will be selected from Group-B and Group A categories of direct Central government staff or staff from central public sector undertakings or public sector banks, as confirmed by an insider from the office of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).
The use of micro-observers is unique to West Bengal among the states and Union Territories where parallel Special Intensive Revisions (SIRs) are underway. The decision to bring in 2,000 more micro-observers is driven by the significant number of voters receiving notices for hearings under the “unmapped” and “logical discrepancy” categories. The ECI has warned these micro-observers in West Bengal of severe disciplinary measures if they deviate from the prescribed standard operating procedure (SOP).
Recently, the ECI appointed four additional special roll observers for the state, with one of their key tasks being the evaluation of micro-observers’ performance during the hearing sessions. Additionally, the CEO’s office stated that legal action would be taken against individuals who disclosed the mobile number of West Bengal CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal on social media. The CEO’s office discovered that unsolicited messages and calls were received on the CEO’s number after it was circulated on Facebook, leading to the identification of the accounts responsible for sharing the number.
