In a significant move to ensure the accuracy of voter lists, West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Agarwal, convened a crucial meeting on Saturday with the heads of 16 central government organisations, departments, public sector undertakings (PSUs), and nationalised banks.
Securing the Electoral Roll: The Micro-Observer Initiative
The primary agenda was to secure a list of officers who will be deployed as micro-observers for the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. This initiative marks the first time in India that such micro-observers will be used for an SIR exercise in any state or union territory.
Close to 3,500 micro-observers are slated to be present during the SIR hearings. Their critical role will be to monitor the work of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), who conduct these hearings. The Election Commission stated that this layer of scrutiny is intended to aid in the preparation of error-free electoral rolls for Bengal.
Swift Deployment and Training Schedule
A senior official from the Election Commission revealed that the participating organisations were instructed to submit their lists of nominated officers by Sunday. The CEO's office will then select the final cadre of micro-observers from these lists.
Once appointed, these officials will undergo specialised training. The training sessions are scheduled to be held in two batches at Nazrul Mancha on December 24, equipping them with the necessary knowledge and protocols for their observation duties.
Parallel Preparations with Ground-Level Officials
In a parallel development on the same day, Booth Level Officers (BLOs), EROs, and AEROs held a separate meeting with the District Election Officer (DEO) of Kolkata South in Alipore. In this meeting, BLOs were briefed in detail about the upcoming hearings. These hearings will specifically address cases of unmapped voters and individuals whose application forms contain logical discrepancies.
The coordinated efforts between the central micro-observers and the ground-level electoral staff underscore a comprehensive approach by the Election Commission to enhance the integrity and precision of the voter list revision process in West Bengal.
