NEW DELHI: Amid growing controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has further tightened its monitoring mechanism in the state by deputing 11 more central observers.
Officials in the ECI said that with the additional officers joining duty in the state, the total number of central observers has risen to 20.
According to sources in the ECI, the decision to send more observers was taken following allegations that the SIR process was not conducted in accordance with the prescribed rules in several districts of the state.
The ECI has identified 10 to 12 districts where irregularities are suspected or complaints have been received, with North Bengal emerging as a key area of concern.
It is alleged that voter list revision work in these districts was either incomplete or improperly carried out. To strengthen field level supervision, the Commission has decided to deploy additional observers, who are expected to arrive in West Bengal as early as Wednesday.
Earlier, the ECI had issued a warning, stating that strict action would be taken if negligence was proven against any Booth Level Officer (BLO) or other officials involved in the SIR process.
"We have made it clear that no errors or irregularities will be tolerated and that the highest level of strictness will be maintained to ensure transparency and adherence to rules,” an ECI official said.
The SIR is currently being conducted in 12 states and Union Territories across the country, and West Bengal has witnessed the maximum controversy related to the process.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the Supreme Court has recently intervened in the matter, directing the Commission to publish the complete list of “logical discrepancies” identified during the SIR.
The apex court has further ordered that this list must be made public and that receipts must be issued as acknowledgement whenever documents are collected during hearings.