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Kolkata, Oct 27 (IANS) A case of appointment of a Trinamool Congress functionary as a booth-level officer (BLO) has come to light in Narayangarh assembly constituency in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district, the second such case within the last seven days.
Last week, the attention of the Election Commission of India (ECI) was drawn towards the selection of a regional president of Trinamool Congress as BLO for a particular booth under the Diamond Harbor constituency of South 24 Parganas district.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal has already asked the District Magistrate of South 24 Parganas, who is also the District Electoral Officer, to investigate the matter of Diamond Harbor assembly constituency and send a report in this regard to the CEO’s office in Kolkata as soon as possible.
Now, after a similar case came to light in the case of Narayangarh Assembly constituency in West Midnapore district, the CEO office, in all likelihood, will seek a similar report from the District Magistrate and District Returning Officer of West Midnapore, said an insider in the CEO office.
The whistleblower in both these cases is Leader of the Opposition (LOP) in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari. On Monday morning, he drew the attention of the ECI regarding the selection of para-teacher Sudhadeb Mahapatra, known to be closely associated with the Trinamool Congress, as BLO for Booth No. 24, Sandeuli under Narayangarh Assembly constituency.
Since Mahapatra is a para-teacher, his appointment in itself violates the ECI-mandated norms for BLO selection, which prevent para-teachers from being appointed as BLOs. Para-teachers are contractual teachers appointed to fill the gaps in the education system in states, especially in schools with teacher shortages or in remote areas.
As per the Commission-mandated norms, permanent employees of the state government covered under retirement benefits like provident fund, pension and gratuity and permanent teachers in state-run schools should have the first priority for selection as BLOs.
The LoP had also pointed out that Mahapatra’s selection as BLO was done ignoring the claims of two permanent primary teachers and two ICDS workers in state-run schools, all four of whom were eligible for BLO selection under the ECI-mandated norms.
“I request the CEO, West Bengal to take immediate cognizance of the matter and appoint a competent state government officer in place of the BLO to maintain the sanctity of the electoral process,” the official said on Monday.
–IANS
Source/DPB