New Delhi, February 16: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has suspended seven officials from West Bengal with immediate effect due to negligence in their duties related to the electoral process. This action was taken under the provisions of Section 13CC of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
According to the commission, the officials are accused of serious misconduct, negligence in duty, and misuse of statutory powers. The ECI has emphasized that there will be no compromise on the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
Additionally, the commission has directed the Chief Secretary of West Bengal to initiate disciplinary action against the concerned officials through their cadre controlling authority without delay. The ECI has requested timely updates on the actions taken.
Among the suspended officials are Dr. Safoor Rahman, the AERO for the 56-Samsherganj Assembly constituency (Murshidabad district), Nitish Das, the AERO and Revenue Officer for the 55-Farakka Assembly constituency, Daliya Ray Chaudhary, the AERO for the 16-Mayanaguri Assembly constituency, and Murshid Alam, the AERO for the 57-Suti Assembly constituency. Other suspended officials include Satyajit Das (Joint BDO), serving as AERO for the 139-Canning Purbo Assembly constituency, Joydeep Kundu (FEO), and Debashish Biswas, the AERO and Joint BDO for the 229-Debra Assembly constituency.
This decision is deemed significant in light of the upcoming electoral activities in West Bengal. While there has been no formal response from the state government regarding this matter, the directives given to the Chief Secretary have led to increased activity at the departmental level. The Election Commission has made it clear that any irregularities or negligence in electoral work will not be tolerated. This stringent action from the commission signals its commitment to uphold the sanctity of the electoral process and to take necessary measures using its statutory powers when required.
Deependra Singh Chundawat is a Senior Sub-Editor at Udaipur Kiran, specializing in a wide range of technology topics including mobile phones, applications, gaming, PCs, and wearables. Along with covering the latest tech news, he also creates engaging web stories. Passionate about emerging technologies, he stays up to date with the newest trends and enjoys reading and writing about the latest mobile launches and digital innovations.
