The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday suspended five booth-level officers (BLOs) and transferred the commissioner of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal.
The BLOs—three from North 24 Parganas district, and two from Birbhum—were suspended over allegations that they engaged in political campaigning, a direct violation of poll conduct rules.
According to sources, BLOs Tapan Kumar Saha, Avijit Dey, and Kumarjit Dutta from North 24 Parganas district were allegedly involved in campaigning and advertising in favour of the Trinamool Congress. “All BLOs were sent show-cause notices. One did not answer, and the others’ answers were not satisfactory. After that, they were suspended,” a senior ECI official said.
The ECI transferred Murlidhar Sharma, the commissioner of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate. Tripurari Atharva assumed charge in Sharma’s place.
The poll body also directed the state administration to initiate departmental inquiries and register First Information Reports (FIRs) against the accused officials.
Assembly elections will be held in two phases in West Bengal, on April 23 and April 29.
The ECI on Saturday took steps to prevent false polling or illegal activities during postal ballot submission by election workers, and issued new guidelines to all district electoral officers or district magistrates.
“I am directed to inform you that several complaints have been received from polling personnel regarding absence of sufficient facilities at the postal ballot facilitation centre to enable all the eligible polling personnel to cast their votes. There is a need to strengthen planning,” the poll body said in a letter.
“All the relevant protocols are needed to be followed for casting vote and safekeeping of the ballots as per direction by ECI,” it added.
The commission also stated that, in districts where elections are scheduled for April 29, at least one voting compartment should be installed in each facilitation centre for every 50 to 60 electors intending to cast their vote through postal ballots on the final day of training or the mop-up day.