SIR exercise in Bengal: ECI directs key officials to closely monitor activities of BLOs

Kolkata, Nov 6 (IANS) The three-member central delegation from the Election Commission of India (ECI), currently on a three-day visit to West Bengal to review the progress of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state, on Thursday directed the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) of Alipurduar district to keep a close watch on the activities of the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the revision process.

During the ongoing visit, the three-member delegation -- comprising Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, Deputy Secretary Abhinav Agarwal, and Principal Secretary S.B. Joshi -- is scheduled to review the SIR progress in the three north Bengal districts of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar.

On Thursday, the delegation, accompanied by Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, held a meeting with the District Electoral Officer (DEO) and subordinate electoral officers from Alipurduar district. During the meeting, the EROs and AEROs were instructed to closely monitor the activities of the BLOs throughout the revision process.

“EROs and AEROs were further directed to monitor the activities of BLOs to ensure that they perform their duties in accordance with ECI guidelines. BLOs were advised to wear and display their identity cards during house-to-house visits and to complete the assigned work within the stipulated timeframe for the SIR,” a statement issued from the CEO’s office on Thursday night said.

The central ECI delegation also directed the electoral officers from Alipurduar district to take appropriate measures to ensure that no genuine voter is excluded from the electoral rolls and that no ineligible voter — falling under categories such as dead, shifted, absent, or duplicate -- is included in the list.

On Friday, the ECI team and the CEO, West Bengal, will hold a similar review meeting with the district electoral officer and subordinate officers from Cooch Behar district.

--IANS

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