Holidays one after another in festive month, why SIR won’t see October launch in Bengal

The EC’s decision to halt the SIR this month comes days after West Bengal Chief Minister had questioned the “haste shown” by the EC in conducting the exercise even as the state was celebrating a string of festivals. She had also accused the poll panel of acting like a “rubber stamp” of the BJP.

The delay in beginning the exercise has not sat well with the Election Commission’s team, sources said.

After concluding his two-day visit to the state on Thursday, Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti had expressed concern over the pace of work and questioned the district administration’s justification for Puja holidays.

According to sources, Bharti had stressed that since SIR was being implemented across the country, there should not be any further delay in conducting it in West Bengal. “If West Bengal lags, it will create problems at the national level. Therefore, we cannot allow (a delay of) more than seven days,” Bharti was quoted as saying at a meeting of state officials.

Meanwhile, EC sources said that it will not make changes to the criteria of appointing Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) under any circumstances.

BJP MLA and Leader of the Opposition in Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, had recently submitted a list of 226 officers whose appointments as electoral officers, he said, violated EC guidelines. “This malpractice undermines the integrity of our electoral process,” Adhikari had said, urging the commission to take immediate corrective action.

However, a senior official of the commission said, “The commission’s message is clear: procedural lapses or deviations from established rules will not be tolerated. Under the ECI framework, permanent state government employees, including teaching staff from state-run schools, are to be given first preference for appointment as BLOs. Contractual employees may only be considered in the absence of sufficient permanent staff in any booth or region, and even then, the district magistrate, who doubles as the district electoral officer, must justify the selection and obtain the CEO’s approval.”

The official added that appointments for EROs must follow strict norms. Eligible officers should come from the West Bengal Civil Service, Executive cadre, and hold ranks no lower than sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs), sub-divisional officers (SDOs,) or rural development officers.

The EC emphasised that “seniority and service credentials must not be overlooked, ensuring the appointments are both fair and transparent.”/

From the homepage

Bihar Assembly Election 2025 Live Updates: NDA alliance finalises Bihar seat sharing as BJP, JD(U) keep 101 seats each

‘Technical issue, no other problem’: Afghan Minister Muttaqi plays down exclusion of women journos from press meet

‘How did they come out at 12.30 am?’: Mamata Banerjee questions private medical college’s accountability after MBBS student’s rape