ECI cautions micro-observers of disciplinary action

Kolkata: The Election Commission of India has cautioned the micro-observers in West Bengal of strong disciplinary action in case of any deliberate deviation from the ECI-prescribed standard operating procedure (SOP) for them.

The micro-observers have been appointed for the supervision of the hearing sessions on claims and objections on the draft voters’ list, which is the ongoing second level of the three-stage Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state.

The development is significant since the 3,500 micro-observers appointed, especially, for West Bengal have been selected from either the Central government or those from the central public sector undertakings or public sector banks, most in the Group-B category and a few in the Group-A category.

Since they are Central government or Central PSU or PSU bank employees, on which the Union government has full control, initiating disciplinary proceedings against them in case of deliberate deviation from the ECI- prescribed SOP would be far easier than doing the same for electoral registration officers (EROs), assistant electoral registration officers (AERIs) and booth-level officers (BLOs), who are state government employees or teachers of state-run schools, explained an insider from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal.

Any deliberate deviation from the ECI-prescribed SOP will first attract a show-cause notice, and in the event of non-availability of a satisfactory answer to that notice, it will follow suspension from service and registration of FIR against the micro-observer concerned.

Last week, the ECI announced appointments of four additional special roll observers for the state, and one of the two main assignments for them is to review the performance of the micro-observers at the hearing sessions.

“The Commission had received inputs that some of the micro-observers are not performing their duties during the hearing session as per the guidelines set for them by the ECI. Hence, the newly appointed four special observers have been asked to supervise the functioning of the micro-observers. The only aim is to ensure that the name of a single genuine voter remains included and the name of a single bogus voter is excluded,” sources in the CEO’s office said.

The draft voters’ list in West Bengal was published on December 16, 2025. The final voters’ list will be published on February 14. Soon after that, the ECI will announce the polling dates for the crucial Assembly elections in the state, scheduled for this year.