Kolkata, March 18: In a bid to ensure complete transparency in the West Bengal Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to implement a new system to monitor the daily operations of general observers, police, and expenditure observers.
A special monitoring cell will be established under the direct supervision of the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manoj Kumar Agarwal. According to a source from the CEO’s office, this cell will not only oversee the work of the observers appointed by the commission but will also send a daily report based on its observations to the ECI headquarters in New Delhi.
Sources from the CEO’s office revealed that the ECI has already appointed a total of 294 general observers for West Bengal. This makes West Bengal the only state among the four election-bound states and one Union Territory where a general observer has been assigned for each assembly constituency. Additionally, there will be 84 police observers in West Bengal, the highest number across all polling locations. This time, 100 expenditure observers will also be included, marking the second-largest figure among the election-bound states and Union Territories.
Sources noted that the Election Commission has decided to bring the daily operations of the observers under scrutiny to ensure a completely error-free and transparent process. They also mentioned that this initiative aligns with the commitment made by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar earlier this month to make the West Bengal Assembly elections free, fair, and violence-free.
A source from the CEO’s office stated, “By implementing a daily check system for the work of general, police, and expenditure observers, the commission aims to convey a message of transparency in this process. Additionally, it seeks to address allegations that the Election Commission’s oversight was limited to state government bureaucrats and police officials.”
Meanwhile, the commission has appointed Antara Acharya, Secretary of the Public Works Department (PWD) of West Bengal, and Parvez Ahmed Siddiqui, Secretary of Food Processing, as central observers. Previously, Jagdish Prasad Meena, the Home Secretary of West Bengal, was appointed as a central observer for Tamil Nadu. However, Antara Acharya and Parvez Ahmed Siddiqui have requested the commission to reconsider their appointments as central observers in other election-bound states.
My name is Himanshu Tiwari. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including TECHNOLOGY, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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