Kolkata, March 12 – At the insistence of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the West Bengal government has now provided state government officers with the necessary seniority for appointment as returning officers (ROs) for the upcoming state assembly elections, which are scheduled later this year, the Commission said on Thursday afternoon.
Based on a list provided by the state government, the ECI issued the notification for the appointment of ROs on Thursday and communicated it to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal.
In its communication to the CEO, West Bengal, the ECI directed that the list of ROs for all the 294 assembly constituencies in the state be published in a special issue of the State Government Gazette, after a thorough verification of the entries made in the table attached to the notification.
"A copy of the gazette containing the said notification may be forwarded to the Commission soon after its publication," the ECI said in its communication to the CEO, West Bengal.
Meanwhile, the ECI is closely monitoring the law and order situation in West Bengal, even before the assembly election schedule is announced.
With this in mind, the office of the CEO, West Bengal, held another meeting with the state police administration and law enforcement agencies on Thursday.
An official from the CEO's office said the first round of meetings was held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. The second round of meetings will be held on Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
During the second round, the CEO's office will hold a virtual conference with 25 enforcement agencies in the state.
The ECI has already decided that in the upcoming assembly elections, the district administration will not determine the movement of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in order to ensure their optimal deployment.
Until 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 polls while the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) was in force.
However, this time the Commission has decided that ECI-appointed police observers will determine CAPF movement in the respective districts.
At the same time, sources in the CEO's office said that composite teams would be formed at the district level to assess the specific requirements for CAPF deployment, and the decisions of the police observers in this regard would be final.