To do away with ‘scientific rigging’, Election Commission introduces strict norms in West Bengal

The entire process of electoral roll revision will have to be completed by January 5, next year. The first phase of the same will conclude next week.

To avoid any possibility of “scientific rigging” in the state, the EC has appointed the three divisional commissioners — Barun Kumar Ray of Jalpaiguri Range, Nandini Mukherjee of Presidency Range and Hari Ramulu of Burdwan Range — as observers.

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“It’s the observers task to ensure that the process is conducted fairly. The three officers will coordinate with the officer of the West Bengal chief electoral officer and scrutinise the lists,” said an official.

Sources said the EC had mandated a number of check lists and multiple visits to sensitive areas for the three observers. “They have also been appointed as training observers to block-level officers. This has never happened before and is completely different from the usual process,” said a source.

This comes days after state BJP leader Joy Banerjee unwittingly put the EC in the eye of a storm after his claims that his party had “control over the Election Commission”.

His allegations of rigging in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections by the ruling Trinamool Congress government were almost eerily similar to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s allegation — while she was in Opposition — of CPM’s ‘scientific rigging’.

Some of the aspects of “scientific rigging” were enrolling bogus voters, deleting anti-ruling party voters and terrorising them to ensure they don’t make it to polling booths, driving out poll agents of other parties from booths and casting bogus votes.

“In West Bengal, allegations of rigging are a fabled part and parcel of elections. First, it was Mamata who claimed that the CPM began rigging the elections with the electoral rolls. Now with her in power, it’s the BJP and the Left who claim the same,” said a state EC official.