The state Chief Secretary had to face the ECI Full Bench today and Chief Secretary and she was cautioned on the non-compliance issue and was asked to comply with the issues. Last August, ECI had summoned the then Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to New Delhi over the state government’s reluctance to implement the ECI’s order to suspend the ERO and AERO of Baruipur East and East Midnapore’s Moina and several other cases.
ECI had written to the Chief Secretary on Tuesday, directing the state government to cancel the departmental transfers of three Electoral Rolls. The Chief Secretary was asked to obtain “prior concurrence of the Commission” before issuing such orders in future.
The three officers, who have been transferred by the state government are Asvini Kumar Yadav (IAS) who is Electoral Rolls Observer for Uttar Dinajpur & Dakshin Dinajpur, Randhir Kumar (IAS), who is Electoral Rolls Observer for North 24 Parganas and Kolkata North and Smita Pandey, who is Electoral Rolls observer for Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Bardhaman and Birbhum.
Prior to this, in a letter to West Bengal Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty on January 25, the ECI flagged “serious lapses” and “irregularities” in the hearing process at Basirhat AC and directed her to suspend AERO/BDO.
ECI appoints Special Observer
ECI appoints IPA NK Mishra as Special Observer. The newly appointed Special Observer will oversee the process of SIR as per the directions of the Commission, poll preparedness and the conduct of forthcoming assembly polls and “give your inputs to the Commission for necessary action”.
