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Kolkata, Oct 10 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Friday sought the attention of the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding alleged irregularities in the selection of electoral registration officers (EROs) amid indications that the special intensive review (SIR) will begin in the state after October 15.
According to the official, in many cases the seniority aspect of bureaucrats was ignored during the selection of ERO.
In a social media post issued by the LOP, the LOP said, “I urge the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take immediate action to remove the numerous anomalies in the appointment of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) across West Bengal. It has come to my notice that many District Magistrates have appointed junior officers as EROs, bypassing the senior West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) – Executive Officers, who are under the ECI. There is a clear violation of the guidelines.” On Friday.
The official had also submitted a list of 226 such EROs, which, according to him, were selected by ignoring ECI-mandated guidelines in this regard. “This misconduct has undermined the integrity of our electoral process,” he said.
The official pointed out that the ECI had insisted that officers from the WBCS cadre reaching the rank of sub-divisional magistrates and rural development officers should be appointed as EROs.
“I request the ECI to strictly implement this directive in West Bengal, to ensure comprehensive reforms and proper implementation to maintain fairness and transparency in our democracy,” the LoP said.
The role of ERO in the chain of command of election officials at the district level is extremely important, especially in the case of SIRs. The forms and applications processed by the Booth Level Officer (BLO), the lowest layer of the command chain, are scrutinized by the Assistant Election Returning Officers (AEROs) before being finally approved by the ERO.
In a way, an ERO acts as a link between his subordinate BLOs and EROs and his senior level Additional District Magistrate (Election) and the District Magistrate, who is also the District Election Officer.
–IANS
Source/DPB