Neelam Meena becomes new CEO of West Bengal
The 1998-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre is replacing Manoj Kumar Agarwal, who was earlier appointed as the state's new Chief Secretary.
The Election Commission will release the second phase of the updated voter list on Monday evening, publishing details of all pending voter entries that have been processed so far.
According to Commission sources, data of 28.06 lakh pending voters had been resolved across the state till Sunday evening.
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The updated lists are expected to reach district election officers by Monday afternoon.
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From the evening, voters will be able to access the supplementary list online through the Commission’s official website.
Additionally, the lists will be displayed at booths, BDO offices, SDO offices, and District Magistrate offices across the state.
The Commission has already received updated records from around 40,000 booths, reflecting progress made till Friday.
Sources in the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office indicated that the publication is being carried out in compliance with directives of the Supreme Court.
Officials maintained that the process is being conducted strictly within the legal framework, reducing the likelihood of disputes following the release.
As per court guidelines, individuals whose names are excluded will have the option to appeal before tribunals.
The Calcutta High Court has already constituted 19 tribunals for 23 districts, appointing 19 retired judges to oversee the process.
Earlier, on February 28, the Commission had released an incomplete voter list that included 60.06 lakh pending names.
Following court directions, more than 700 serving and retired judicial officers have been engaged to expedite the verification process.
Meanwhile, a high-level meeting on security arrangements was held at the CEO office on Sunday.
Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal met the Joint Force Deployment Committee to discuss the deployment of Central forces for the upcoming Assembly elections.
Plans regarding the number of forces, their locations, and operational strategies were deliberated.
The meeting was attended by state police nodal officer Anand Kumar, special observer NK Mishra, and Central forces nodal officers Shalabh Mathur and Gaurav Sharma.
Following the release of the list, the Commission has directed both police and Central forces to remain vigilant on law and order.
Sources indicated that an additional 300 companies of central forces are expected to arrive in the state by March 31.
The Commission will also hold a virtual review meeting with district election officers, district magistrates, police superintendents, and police commissioners at 4 pm on Monday from Delhi.
The meeting, expected to last around two hours, will be led by Deputy Election Commissioner Manish Garg.
Other officials, including Deputy Commissioners Gyanesh Bharti and Pawan Kumar Sharma, along with CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal, will also be present.
The agenda of the meeting includes reviewing poll preparedness, security arrangements, and manpower deployment.
District authorities have been instructed to jointly prepare PowerPoint presentations detailing their plans, which will be assessed by the Commission to ensure a smooth and secure election process.
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