The Trinamul Congress government has termed recent media statements alleging manipulation or impropriety in the list of Group B officers submitted to the poll panel as “completely false and baseless.”
EC purge continues to ensure free and fair polls in second phase of Bengal polls
The West Bengal government and the Election Commission of India (ECI) have locked horns over the deployment of 8,505 micro-observers, with the former alleging that certain vested interests were deliberately distorting the database of Group-B officers submitted to the poll panel in connection with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state’s electoral rolls.
The Trinamul Congress government has termed recent media statements alleging manipulation or impropriety in the list of Group B officers submitted to the poll panel as “completely false and baseless.”
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In a notification issued by Nabanna on Tuesday, the state government alleged that it had come to its notice that some quarters were intentionally misrepresenting the contents of the Group-B officers’ database furnished to the Election Commission, despite the process being carried out in line with the Supreme Court’s observations made on 9 February.
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The notification categorically rejected allegations of irregularities in the list of officers proposed for micro-observer duties.
Clarifying its stand, the state government said the list of Group-B employees submitted to the Election Commission was fully compliant with the criteria of existing pay scales as notified by the state finance department’s memorandum dated 6 October, 2020.
As per the memorandum, state government employees are clearly classified into Group A, B, C and D categories, and the preparation and submission of the Group-B list followed these notified rules without any deviation.
The notification was issued hours after the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, sought additional details on the proposed deployment of the 8,505 Group-B officers as micro-observers, effectively delaying the deployment process that was scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
According to sources, the CEO office has asked the chief secretary to provide officer-wise details, including place of residence, current place of posting and vigilance clearance status, within 24 hours.
The chief secretary directed district magistrates to compile and submit the information by Tuesday evening.
The fresh round of queries has put the deputation of micro-observers on hold, further intensifying the standoff between the state government and the poll panel.
The issue has its roots in the hearing of the SIR-related case in the Supreme Court on 4 February, when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was personally present in court.
During the hearing, the Election Commission’s counsel told the court that despite repeated requests, the state had not provided an adequate number of eligible officers, making it difficult to complete the SIR exercise.
The Chief Minister, however, assured the court that the state was ready to provide the required number of qualified officers.
Subsequently, on 7 February, the state agreed to deploy 8,505 Group-B officers for the SIR process.
During the 9 February hearing, the state acknowledged that the complete list had not been sent earlier as it was awaiting the commission’s concurrence, and the list was handed over to the ECI’s lawyer during the proceedings.
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