Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) Wednesday clearly communicated to the West Bengal government that no change would be allowed in the list of 15 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and 10 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers from West Bengal cadre who were originally selected by the Commission for appointment as central poll observers for other states.
This means that these 15 IAS and 10 IPS officers will have to reach New Delhi by Wednesday night or at the latest by Thursday morning to attend the two-day training programme for the central poll observers’ training starting from Thursday.
The ECI has thus rejected the alternative names suggested earlier by the West Bengal government for appointment as central poll observers.
Last month, the ECI communicated to West Bengal regarding the selection of these officers as central poll observers. However, the West Bengal government vehemently objected to the selection of certain people, especially the selection of state Home Secretary, Jagdish Prasad Meena.
It is within the Commission’s rules to send IAS and IPS officers from one particular state as central poll observers for other states. But the precedent of selecting a state home secretary as a central poll observer is very rare. However, at the same time, no rule can prevent the Commission from selecting a state home secretary as a central poll observer.
The state government suggested the names of some alternative bureaucrats and cops from the state cadre to the Commission. However, Wednesday, the Commission clearly informed the state government that its first choice of 15 IAS and 10 IPS officers will prevail.
Trinamool Congress had already described the move by the Commission as unilateral and yet another conspiracy on the part of the ECI acting on the behest of the BJP.
However, the ECI has held the state government responsible for this entire situation. Insiders from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) claimed that the Commission was forced to ultimately take a unilateral decision in selecting these officers, since earlier communiques from the panel to the state government to send names of bureaucrats and police officers for appointment as central poll observers were conspicuously ignored by the state government.
