In response to the Election Commission of India’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, the state government under Mamata Banerjee has instructed District Magistrates (DMs) who also serve as District Electoral Officers (DEOs). During a meeting led by Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, attended briefly by the Chief Minister, DMs were directed to align the revision exercise with the recent Supreme Court directives rather than blindly following decisions from the Commission’s higher authorities in New Delhi. The Supreme Court had issued guidelines to the ECI to ensure transparent and citizen-friendly verification of voters in West Bengal.
The Chief Minister emphasized that DMs should not neglect their regular administrative duties, especially concerning the state government’s welfare schemes, while focusing on the revision exercise. Additionally, it was highlighted that post the upcoming Assembly elections, the state government, not the Commission, will retain administrative jurisdiction over the DMs. The Chief Minister assured the DMs of full government support in case they face undue pressure from the Commission, as per an attendee at the meeting.
