Kolkata, March 13: The sensitivity mapping will determine the decision of the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the deployment of police observers in each district for the upcoming state assembly elections in West Bengal, which are scheduled to be held later this year.
An insider from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal said that the ECI is taking into consideration several factors while conducting the district-wise sensitivity mapping.
"The district-wise sensitivity mapping will be divided into three categories. The first category includes districts that share a border with neighboring Bangladesh. The second category includes districts with a history of widespread violence related to elections, whether before, during, or after the elections, in the last three elections. The third category will include those districts where the factors in both the first and second categories apply," the insider from the CEO's office said.
He added that Murshidabad, Malda, and Cooch Behar are typical examples of districts falling under the third category, as they share borders with Bangladesh and also have a history of widespread poll-related violence.
On the other hand, districts like Howrah, adjacent to Kolkata, are typical examples of the second category, which, although not sharing a border with Bangladesh, have a history of severe political violence.
In view of these factors, the ECI is considering increasing the number of central observers in all categories, especially the police observers in these areas, the source said.
In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, the ECI appointed 170 general observers, 84 expenditure observers, and 37 police observers.
"The ECI headquarters in New Delhi had already informed the CEO's office that there would be a substantial increase in the number of observers in all three categories, especially in the number of police observers. As the Commission hinted, the number of police observers to be appointed for West Bengal will be at least 100, which is almost three times the number that was in 2021," the insider from the CEO's office said.
He also explained why the ECI is focusing on a three-fold increase in the number of police observers this time.
"This time, the police observers will have greater authority, especially regarding determining the movement of personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). In the previous elections, District Magistrates, who also function as District Electoral Officers, were authorized to determine the movement of CAPF before, during, or after the elections while the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) was in force.
"However, this time, the Commission has decided that ECI-appointed police observers will determine the movement of CAPF in their respective districts. At the same time, composite teams specific to each district will be formed to assess the requirements for CAPF deployment on a pocket-by-pocket basis, and the decisions of the police observers regarding this will be final. So, keeping this in mind, the Commission has decided to substantially increase the number of police observers this time," he said.
At the same time, sources in the CEO's office said that composite teams specific to each district would be formed to assess the requirements for CAPF deployment on a pocket-by-pocket basis, and the decisions of the police observers regarding this will be final.