SIR hearings to be held after Christmas, Election Commission to post 4,000 micro-observers
The ECI will train EROs, assistant EROs, and additional AEROs, apart from more than 2,000 who were recruited exclusively for the SIR hearing proceedings.
After the publication of the draft electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal on December 11, the Election Commission of India (ECI) will start the hearing of electorswho were dissatisfied with mapping information or unmapped voters — those whose details could not be linked with the 2002 SIR data but whose names appeared in the draft electoral rolls — after December 25.
The ECI will develop software where each elector who would be called in for the hearing will be attributed a separate account.
A senior officer said, “All information provided by the voter during the hearing will be stored under that account. All documents will be scanned and uploaded to the software, which enables the top ECI officers to view the information and documents from any part of the country.”
The Election Commission has said that it would recruit more than 4,000 micro-observers for the purpose from various Central Government organisations. The micro-observer will serve as the eyes of ECI for that table. They will record all the happenings during the hearing and will report to ECI.
“The ECI will train Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO), and additional AERO, apart from more than 2,000 who were recruited exclusively for the hearing proceedings. We also have to train the micro-observers,” the officer said.
The ECI, to recruit the micro-observers, has held discussions with the various heads of departments in West Bengal, includng Coal India, Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), Income Tax, CGST, Customs Departmetn, Airport Authority of India, and Reserve Bank of India, convenor of State-Level Bankers Committee (SLBC), regional head of UCO Bank, Kolkata, Chief Post Master General, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), Indian Iron and Steel Company (IISCO), Eastern Railway, South Eastern Railway, Metro Railway, Balmer Lawrie, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and various nationalised banks.
“We have to recruit more than 4,000 micro-observers to expedite the process and also impart training to them,” he said.
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Each constituency has one Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) and 10 AEROs. “So, there will be 11 tables per constituency for the hearing, which totals to 3,234 tables for 294 constituencies. The number may increase as per the requirements of the constituency. Hence, the number of micro-observers may cross 4,000,” the officer explained.
Atri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting. His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain.
Experience
Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express.
Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news.
Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions.
Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal.
Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla.
Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent.
Education
Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting.
Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University.
Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India. ... Read More
