ECI Boosts Bengal Roll Scrutiny With Five New Observers

The Election Commission of India (ECI) intensified its oversight of West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by appointing five additional special roll observers on Monday.

The decision comes just eight days before the first stage of the three-phase revision ends with the publication of the draft voters’ list on December 16.

With this move, the total number of special roll observers in the state now stands at 17.

All five newly assigned officials, Kumar Ravi Kant Singh, Neeraj Kumar Bansod, Krishna Kumar Nirala, Aloke Tiwari, and Pankaj Yadav, are serving as IAS officers.

Officials in the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Kolkata said the appointments aim to reinforce monitoring during the second stage of the revision process, which will begin immediately after the draft roll is published.

The second stage of the SIR will involve filing claims and objections, followed by the critical notice phase.

During this period, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will concurrently issue notices, conduct hearings, verify enumeration forms, and decide on the disposal of claims and objections.

The ECI expects this stage to ensure accurate inclusion and deletion of names based on field verification and documentation.

Stronger Oversight for SIR

Once the second stage concludes, the process will enter its final phase. The Commission will publish the final electoral roll on February 14.

Soon after releasing the final list, the ECI is likely to announce the dates for the high-stakes Assembly elections in West Bengal.

Each of the five newly appointed observers will oversee one of the state’s five divisions. Kumar Ravi Kant Singh will take charge of the Presidency Division, while Neeraj Kumar Bansod will supervise the Midnapore Division.

Krishna Kumar Nirala will monitor the Burdwan Division, and Aloke Tiwari will handle the Malda Division. Pankaj Yadav will oversee the Jalpaiguri Division, ensuring comprehensive coverage across the state.

The ECI’s renewed scrutiny follows significant findings from the ongoing digitisation of enumeration forms.

Officials have already identified over 56 lakh names as excludable from the voters’ list. These entries include dead, shifted, untraceable, duplicate voters, and individuals flagged for other discrepancies.

The Commission previously directed electoral officers to intensify ‘progeny mapping’, a process that cross-verifies the names of parents listed for a voter with the records from 2002, the last year West Bengal undertook a similar revision.

As of October 27, the state’s voter roll lists 7,66,37,529 electors.

With enhanced supervision and expanded observer deployment, the ECI aims to produce a more accurate and tamper-proof electoral roll ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

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