The West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer’s office has submitted a detailed report to the Election Commission of India in New Delhi, highlighting performance issues by some electoral registration officers (EROs) and assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state. The report recommends disciplinary action against EROs and AEROs found guilty of deliberate dereliction, with the final decision resting with the Commission. Specific cases were cited where officers delayed uploading voter documents, contrary to Commission instructions, leading to numerous documents needing judicial adjudication.
The CEO’s office emphasized identified instances of deliberate delays in document uploads in its report to the Commission, resulting in a significant number of documents being referred for judicial adjudication. The final voters’ list in West Bengal, published on February 28, excluded around 60 lakh cases referred for judicial adjudication, with plans for supplementary lists based on adjudication progress. A dispute arose this week between the West Bengal Civil Service Officers’ Association and the CEO’s office regarding the roles of certain EROs and AEROs during the revision exercise.
Accusations were made against Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal for attributing certain names as “under adjudication” to EROs and AEROs in the final electoral roll. Following this, the CEO’s office refuted the claims, clarifying that while some cases were pending with EROs/AEROs and referred for adjudication, not all cases were attributed to their indecision. The office warned against discrediting constitutional bodies or statutory authorities, emphasizing the need for government servants to adhere to conduct rules.
