Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) had now appointed a total of 294 senior micro-observers, one each for the 294 assembly constituencies in West Bengal, to review the ongoing hearing session on claims and objections on the draft voters’ list in West Bengal.
These 294 senior micro-observers have been placed above the 6,600 micro-observers already appointed by the Commission to review the hearing session. There are some differences in grade-status and assignment nature between that of the micro-observers and senior micro-observers, insiders from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said.
A micro-observer, on the one hand, is in charge of the supervision of a hearing center. On the other hand, a senior micro-observer is in charge of the supervision of all the hearing centers under one particular assembly constituency.
Micro observers are appointed from among either direct central government employees or employees from central public sector undertakings (PSUs) or public sector banks (PSBs), mainly in Group-B categories and a few from Group-A.
On the other hand, senior micro-observers are all from Group-A categories of either direct central government employees or employees of central PSUs and PSBs.
In the case of micro-observers, their current place of present job posting is West Bengal. On the other hand, the senior-micro observers are appointed from the three neighbouring states of Odisha, Bihar, and Jharkhand.
“The CEO, West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, recently sent communiques to his counterparts in Odisha, Bihar, and Jharkhand for sending officers for appointments as senior micro-observers. The senior micro-observers from these three states have finally been shortlisted, and they will join their respective duties in West Bengal on January 26. They will be in West Bengal till the completion of the hearing session, following which the final voters’ list will be published,” said a CEO’s office insider.
The deadline for the completion of the hearing sessions will expire on February 7, and the final voters’ list is scheduled to be published on February 14. However, the Commission had indicated that both deadlines might be extended.
Soon after the publication of the final voters’ list, the Commission is expected to announce the polling dates for the crucial Assembly elections in West Bengal scheduled later this year.
IANS
