The Election Commission of India has cautioned micro-observers in West Bengal about facing strong disciplinary action if they deliberately deviate from the ECI-prescribed standard operating procedure (SOP). These micro-observers have been tasked with overseeing the hearing sessions on claims and objections regarding the draft voters’ list, part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state.
Around 3,500 micro-observers, selected mainly from the Central government, central public sector undertakings, or public sector banks, with most falling under Group-B and a few under Group-A, are involved in this process. The ease of initiating disciplinary actions against them, compared to state government employees or teachers, lies in their association with entities under full control of the Union government.
In case of intentional deviation from the ECI-prescribed SOP, the micro-observers would first receive a show-cause notice. Failure to provide a satisfactory response could lead to suspension from service and the filing of an FIR against the concerned micro-observer. The ECI recently appointed four additional special roll observers for West Bengal, with one of their key tasks being the assessment of micro-observers’ performance during the hearing sessions.
The primary goal behind this supervision is to ensure that genuine voters are included while bogus voters are excluded from the final voters’ list. The draft voters’ list was released on December 16, 2025, and the final list is scheduled for publication on February 14. Following this, the ECI will announce the polling dates for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal.
