Designated as First Polling Officer, teacher’s name figures in ‘Adjudication’ list
The Statesman | 30 March 2026
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Monir Uddin Mallick has been designated as the First Polling Officer, entrusted by the Election Commission of India with the responsibility of verifying voters’ identities as they enter the polling booth. A letter summoning him for training has also been issued.
Yet, ironically, the First Polling Officer appears on the commission’s internal list under the category of “adjudication”, indicating that his own voter status remains under scrutiny. Even after the publication of the second supplementary electoral roll, Monir Uddin Mallick ~ the Booth Level Officer (BLO) for Booth No. 158 in the Mayapur-1 Gram Panchayat area of Arambagh ~ continues to remain under “adjudication”. His election training sessions are scheduled for 28 March and 4 April.
Monir Uddin Mallick has been serving as a teacher at Hatbasantapur Primary School for many years. He has also been discharging his duties as a BLO since 2011. Over the course of 10 different elections, he has consistently served in various capacities ~ at times as Second Polling Officer and at others as First Polling Officer.
“On every previous occasion, there was absolutely no confusion or ambiguity. I have performed my duties smoothly in every election. Yet, look at the situation that has arisen this time. It is a bizarre affair ~ almost surreal,” he said.
Expressing his concern, Monir Uddin Mallick added: “The whole situation feels incredibly strange to me. I am about to go and conduct an election, yet I myself am regarded as a ‘suspicious voter’ in the eyes of the commission. The fact that my name is missing from the supplementary voter list fills me with anxiety this time. However, I am bound to comply with the commission’s directives. Therefore, I am proceeding to attend the training. I do not know what the future holds. I am utterly bewildered. Nevertheless, since the summons has arrived, I have no choice but to go.”