SIR: EC asks Bengal poll officials to fill vacancies
Times of India | 23 August 2025
Kolkata: Election Commission on Friday asked poll officials in Bengal to gear up for the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and fill all vacant posts.
EC had earlier written to the state govt asking it to urgently fill the vacant posts of additional chief electoral officer, joint CEO and deputy CEO. It had also asked for filling the vacant posts of electoral registration officers and assistant EROs to prevent any delay in poll preparations. On Friday, the poll panel asked Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal to appoint more booth level officers (BLOs) as the state will have around 14,000 more booths during next year's Assembly elections. The govt has to inform EC by Aug 29 about the steps taken for the rollout of the SIR.
As the Bengal polls are due by May 2026, CEO Agarwal will hold an all-party meeting on Aug 29 to discuss the rise in the number of polling booths. The EC mandate to cap the number of voters for each booth to 1,200, down from 1,500, has necessitated the increase in booth count. Bengal will have 13,866 additional booths, taking the count to 94,479. | Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in Kolkata