Five senior IAS officers deployed as special observers to WB
The Statesman | 9 December 2025
In a bid to ensure that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls proceeds without irregularities, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has deputed five senior Joint Secretary rank IAS officers as Special Observers for West Bengal.
Commission sources confirmed that the officers will oversee scrutiny hearings and every stage of the SIR process across the state’s five administrative divisions. According to officials, the move follows the commission’s emphasis on strengthening supervision ahead of the publication of the draft voters’ list. The observers — currently serving in various Union government departments in New Delhi — will operate from within West Bengal until the SIR process is completed. They will function specifically as Electoral Roll Observers, monitoring field-level procedures ranging from form collection to digitisation.
The five officers have been allocated to the state’s major divisions as follows: Presidency Division: (Kolkata, Howrah, North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Nadia): Ravikant Singh, Midnapur Division(East & West Medinipur, Jhargram, Bankura, Purulia): Neeraj Kumar Bansore, Burdwan Division (Birbhum, Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Bardhaman, Hooghly): Krishnakumar Nirala, Malda Division(Malda, Murshidabad, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur): Alok Tiwari, and Jalpaiguri Division (Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar): Pankaj Yadav.
With these appointments, a total of 21 officers has now been assigned to oversee SIR-related operations in West Bengal. This includes 12 IAS officers from the state government, one former state cadre officer, and eight officers from other states and central services. Election Commission insiders said the expanded supervisory framework has been designed to ensure that no discrepancies remain in the run-up to the draft roll publication. The commission has placed particular emphasis on accuracy in the processing of SIR forms, verification of claims and objections, and digital updation of records. The strengthened monitoring comes amid political controversy.
BJP leader Abhijit Das, popularly known as Bobby, alleged that names of deceased individuals from parts of South 24-Parganas have appeared in the SIR lists. The allegation sparked widespread debate across the state, with the BJP formally lodging a complaint before the Election Commission. The party claimed that such anomalies reveal serious lapses in the revision exercise. Though the Commission has not commented publicly on the allegations, sources indicated that the induction of five additional observers will ensure “heightened scrutiny” and neutral oversight across all districts. They added that the step aims to reinforce transparency and boost public confidence in the electoral roll revision process. With SIR activities now under tightened supervision, officials expect the current phase — including hearings, verification and digitisation — to be completed within the stipulated timeline, ahead of the draft roll announcement.