Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is weighing a proposal to deploy micro observers during the second phase of the three-tier Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, which will begin after the draft roll is released on December 16.
This stage will cover the submission of claims and objections, along with the notice process — issuing notices, holding hearings, conducting verification and deciding on enumeration forms — all handled simultaneously by Electoral Registration Officers.
These micro observers would supplement the 12 special observers, all current or former IAS officers, already assigned to supervise the revision that started on November 4, according to officials in the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Kolkata. The 12 observers have been called to New Delhi on Monday for a briefing at the ECI headquarters, where they are expected to receive instructions for the second stage, including a possible directive on appointing micro observers to further protect the integrity of the exercise.
Officials said that nearly all opposition parties have pressed for micro observers to be deployed in the second stage to guard against any manipulation in handling claims and objections, and the ECI has acknowledged that these demands have substance. Once the second stage is completed, the final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on February 14, after which the Commission is likely to announce the dates for the high-stakes Assembly elections in the state.
With digitisation of enumeration forms almost finished, over 55 lakh entries have been identified as liable for removal from the rolls, including deceased, untraceable, shifted and duplicate voters, as well as others found ineligible on various grounds. The ECI has further instructed officials to undertake detailed “progeny” mapping after serious errors were found in parent details in the roll as on October 27.
“Progeny” mapping involves cross-checking whether the parents’ names listed for a voter in the current rolls match those recorded in the 2002 electoral roll, when the last SIR exercise was held in West Bengal. The electorate, as per the list dated October 27, stands at 7,66,37,529 voters.
(Inputs from IANS)