ECI holds key meeting in Kolkata; SIR exercise in Bengal likely after Oct 15

Kolkata, Oct 8 (IANS) Indications of the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s special intensive revision (SIR) starting in West Bengal after October 15 became clearer at a crucial meeting on SIR preparedness in the state conducted by a central team of the commission at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, here.

In the meeting chaired by the Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti and attended by other members of the central ECI team, the CEO, West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, and other top officials from the CEO’s office and district-level electoral officers, the CEO’s office was instructed to complete the groundwork for the SIR between October 11 and October 15.

“The representatives of the central ECI team, especially the deputy election commissioner, stressed the completion of the groundwork between October 11 and October 15, not just once but a number of times. This was taken as an indication that the commission wants the process of SIR to start in West Bengal soon after October 15,” said a CEO’s office insider aware of the proceedings of the meeting.

The central ECI team, the insiders added, gave special stress on completing the process of printing the enumeration forms required for the SIR process to be completed before the notification for the review is issued.

“On this issue of printing of the enumeration forms also, the central ECI team stressed the deadline between October 11 and 15. The CEO’s office was even instructed to complete printing of 20 per cent of the total enumeration forms required within the next three days,” the CEO’s office insider said.

It was pointed out that in the case of Bihar, where the SIR process was completed recently, the process of printing of enumeration forms started after the notification for SIR was issued, which posed difficulties for the electoral officers in smoothly conducting the review process. Hence, the insider said, in the case of West Bengal, the commission wants the major part of the enumeration forms to be printed and ready before the notification for the review is issued.

In the meeting, the central ECI also reminded that in Bihar, disciplinary actions were taken against electoral officers at different levels for lapses in carrying out their assignments diligently.

--IANS

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