Kolkata, March 25 The Election Commission of India (ECI) trained all 294 Returning Officers (ROs) for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections on Wednesday, emphasizing transparency in polling procedures.
The ROs were instructed that Presiding Officers must share signed copies of Form 17C, detailing votes recorded, with all polling agents at the close of the poll.
The training sessions were held simultaneously across divisional headquarters in Jalpaiguri, Malda, Presidency, Burdwan, and Medinipur, covering all critical aspects of election management, officials said.
Recalling the Commission's review tour to the state earlier this month, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had underscored that the elections in West Bengal must be conducted in a "violence-free, intimidation-free, and inducement-free manner, so that every elector can vote without fear or favour".
During the programme, National Level Master Trainers and senior ECI officials briefed the ROs on key processes including nomination filing, scrutiny, candidate eligibility, enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, withdrawal of candidature, symbol allotment, poll-day arrangements, and vote counting.
"Returning Officers must ensure that Presiding Officers share signed copies of Form 17C, containing the account of votes recorded, with all polling agents present at the close of poll," an ECI official said, emphasizing the Commission's focus on transparency.
The ROs were also trained on the Presiding Officer module of ECINET, a digital platform through which voter turnout data will be uploaded at two-hour intervals and at the close of polling.
"This will enable near real-time compilation of approximate voting trends at the RO level," the official added.
The Commission said the exercise is in addition to training programmes being conducted by the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal.
Returning Officers are designated under provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and function under the "control, superintendence, and discipline" of the Commission during the election period, the statement said.