Kolkata, 19 December (H.S.) :Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list in West Bengal, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has sought crucial permission from the Election Commission of India to provide additional support during hearings on claims and objections.

The CEO’s office has requested that Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) be allowed to assist Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) during the hearing process related to claims and objections on the draft voters’ list.

After the publication of the draft voters’ list on December 16, it was decided that 10 Electoral Registration Officers would be responsible for conducting hearings in each of the state’s 294 Assembly constituencies. However, sources in the CEO’s office said that the voter population in each constituency is significantly high, making it practically difficult for EROs alone to handle such a large volume of hearings.

In view of this, a proposal has been sent to the Election Commission seeking approval to deploy 10 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers alongside the 10 EROs in each Assembly constituency. Officials believe that this additional support will help expedite the disposal of claims and objections and ensure smoother conduct of the hearing process.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has also approached the Union Home Ministry seeking deployment of Central Armed Police Forces to provide security to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer. According to sources, as per the Commission’s proposal, the deployment of central forces may continue for the entire duration of the Model Code of Conduct once the Assembly election dates are announced.

As per the current schedule, the final voters’ list is to be published on February 14, following which the dates for the Assembly elections are likely to be announced.

The decision to seek enhanced security comes at a time when members of an organisation of booth-level officers, reportedly backed by the Trinamool Congress, have been staging protests almost daily outside the CEO’s office. On several occasions, these demonstrations have turned aggressive. Sources said the Election Commission is not satisfied with the role of the state police in handling the situation, prompting it to approach the Union Home Ministry for the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh