First supplement roll revision

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Jan. 31. — For the very first time in the state, election officials are going to prepare a supplementary revision of the electoral roll this year, with the motive of updating the main electoral rolls as per the instructions of the Election Commission. The final version of the electoral roll will be finally submitted on 15 February although concerned election officials had been instructed to submit the roll by 3 February, officials revealed on Tuesday.At present, Malda district election officials are dealing with the problem of deleting the names of voters who have shifted base elsewhere. Voters’ names will be deleted from the electoral list if they fail to appear before the last hearing conducted by the authorities.The district magistrate of Malda, Mr Abhijit Choudhuri, said: “We have decided to issue individual notifications to voters who have shifted, asking them to appear for the hearing in order to get their names enrolled in the list.” Today, the DM held a meeting with all block development officials and other top brass officials in order to review the situation of the electoral rolls revision. “If the voters cannot attend the hearing, we will have to delete their names,” Mr Choudhuri said.The election officials have reportedly been facing another problem as the names of many voters have been enlisted in the list of voters declared dead. The administration is also on the lookout for multiple entries of voters’ names in the rolls.Complaint report to be tabledThe state chief electoral officer will sent the action report to the Election Commission tonight. The report is based on the complaints received by the commission’s observers during their visit to 19 districts in the second week of January. Mr Debasish Sen, CEO, told the reporters that he has received all the reports from the concerned district magistrates and the final report should be sent to the Election Commission. Mr R Balakrishnan, deputy election commissioner, during his visit earlier said that the commission has asked CEO to send a detailed report to the commission by 31 July. He also said action had been taken against some officials involved in election work for dereliction of duty. They have transferred and would not be engaged in the election process any more. It was learnt that CEO today has a discussion with the chief secretary regarding the execution of removal order to SDO Balurghat and SDO Uluberia from their posts and also about the action taken report against the school teacher and gram panchayat secretary who were indicted for their partisan behaviour by poll observers. The SDOs will not be allowed to take part in election duty. Mr Sen said that already cognizance has been taken of the allegations made by general voters to the poll observers. He said the commission has asked to put main thrust on deletion of the names of dead, shifted and bogus voters from the electoral roll and the final roll would be published on 15 February. He added a group of 19 observers including Mr K J Rao and Mr Nikunja Behari Dhal, against whom CPI-M complained to the Election Commission would be in the city this evening and would be moving to their respective districts by tomorrow. Mr Rao would be visiting West Midnapore, while Dhal will again be visiting Howrah. West Midnapore ready for RaoThere is delight and tension in Midnapore West over the visit of Mr KJ Rao, Election Commission observer, starting tomorrow. While Opposition leaders in the district are overjoyed at the news of Mr Rao taking up the reins of pre-poll preparations in the district, the CPI-M rank and file seem tense. Opposition leaders promise to bring out several examples of irregularities in the electoral roll and other poll processes during Mr Raos’s visit. The district administration is no less worried about loopholes in their activities coming to the surface in front of the tough EC observer. Round the clock is on at the district collectorate as well as the district election office and and the offices of the BDOs. Names of over 73,000 voters — who have died or have shifted residence — have been deleted from the roll in the district so far. In Midnapore East, the number of voters’ names deleted from the roll is over 40,000 till date, officials said.