The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will not start in West Bengal in October. According to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state, the SIR is likely to start only by the first or second week of November. According to the State Election Commission, a series of festivals will be celebrated in October in Bengal after Durga Puja. A senior official of the Commission said, “We have Diwali, Bhai Phonta, Chhath, and Jagadhatri puja in October. From October 18 to 28, the state government has holidays at a stretch. So, during this time, SIR can’t be introduced. So, we decided to introduce it after October.” On the other hand, after Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti’s two-day visit to the state, the team expressed concern over the pace of work and questioned delays, despite the Puja holidays. Bharti rejected the justification, stressing the importance of keeping up with the national timeline. “SIR is being conducted across the country, not just in Bengal. Other states have completed the task or are near completion. If West Bengal lags, it will create problems at the national level. Therefore, we cannot allow more than seven days,” Bharti told officials at the meeting. On Friday, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, flagged purported discrepancies in the selection of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), submitting a detailed list of 226 officers whose appointments, he claimed, flouted guidelines of the Election Commission of India. “This malpractice undermines the integrity of our electoral process,” Adhikari asserted, urging the Commission to take immediate corrective action. According to Commission sources, the criteria for appointing EROs or Assistant EROs won’t be changed under any circumstances. A senior official 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. He further said, “Similarly, ERO appointments must comply with strict norms. Eligible officers must be drawn from the West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) — Executive cadre, holding ranks no lower than sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs), sub-divisional officers (SDOs), or rural development officers (RDOs). The ECI emphasised that seniority and service credentials must not be overlooked, ensuring the appointments are both fair and transparent.”
