Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to depute one Central observer for each of the 294 Assembly constituencies to oversee the pre-poll nomination phase in West Bengal.
Insiders from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said that all the 294 Central observers to be appointed to oversee the pre-poll nomination phase will be either Central government officers or officers from other states.
Currently, a total of 1,444 officers are undergoing training provided by the ECI. At the end of the training period, they will be deputed by the Commission to oversee matters in the various poll-bound states and Union Territories. Of these 1,444 under-training officers, 294 will be earmarked for the Assembly constituencies in West Bengal,” the CEO’s office source said.
According to him, the ECI has noted that in the last few elections, there have been reports of regular violence from different corners of the state from the pre-poll nomination phase.
“The maximum complaints of such pre-poll violence in the nomination phase relate to the intimidation of voters and threatening the opposition party workers and their polling agents. There had been complaints about the non-utilisation of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel deputed in the pre-poll nomination.
The Commission intends to strictly address these complaints surfacing in the pre-poll nomination phase this time, and hence it has decided to depute one Central observer for each of the 294 Assembly constituencies in the pre-poll phase, the CEO’s office insider said.
He also said that these 294 Central observers will be given their respective authorities in the matter by the ECI from the moment the polling dates are announced, and the enforcement of the model code of conduct.
The final voters’ list in West Bengal, minus those “logical discrepancy” cases referred for judicial adjudication, will be published. Supplementary lists will be published in due course as per the progress of the judicial adjudication.
Meanwhile, the ECI is expected to announce the polling dates immediately after the Holi festival March 4. This time, there is a possibility of conducting the polls in fewer phases than they were in the last few elections.
The office of the CEO, West Bengal, has already recommended a single-phase poll this time, but maintained that the final decision in the matter will be taken by the ECI.
