Kolkata, Dec 31 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday said it will not tolerate any intimidation of electoral officers, including Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) and election observers engaged in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal.

According to sources in the Commission, the message was conveyed clearly to the Trinamool Congress delegation of MPs led by the party’s general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, during their meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar earlier in the day in Delhi, where the delegation raised objections to the SIR process.

The Commission’s warning comes amid reports of disruption and forceful stoppage of hearing sessions on claims and objections related to the draft voters’ list in parts of West Bengal over the past few days. There have also been instances of disorder around the vehicle of a special roll observer appointed by the ECI to review the revision exercise in the state.

ECI sources said the Commission has made it clear that strict action will be taken against anyone attempting to take the law into their own hands or disrupt statutory processes mandated under the SIR.

The Commission also told the Trinamool Congress delegation that the party leadership must ensure that its ground-level representatives do not engage in threatening or intimidating election officials performing their duties.

Incidentally, the names of two Trinamool Congress legislators — Asit Majumdar and Ashima Patra — and a member of the state cabinet, Udayan Guha, have surfaced in recent days in connection with allegations that they played a leading role in disrupting and forcefully shutting down hearing sessions while demanding that party booth-level agents be allowed to remain present during the proceedings.

ECI sources further said the Commission has made it clear to the Trinamool Congress delegation that objections to its proposal to set up polling booths within private housing complexes will not be entertained and that the exercise will go ahead as planned.

At the same time, the Election Commission has asked the West Bengal government to immediately release the enhanced honorarium for Booth-Level Officers (BLOs), as approved by the Commission.

–IANS

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