EC asked Mamata govt to give financial and administrative independence to CE Officer in WB

The Commission has clearly said that the Chief Election Officer of the state has not been given financial and administrative independence, which may affect the fairness and efficiency of the election process.

Kolkata: After the Lok Sabha elections, preparations for the assembly elections have started in West Bengal. But meanwhile the Election Commission has given a serious warning to the state government.

The Commission has clearly said that the Chief Election Officer of the state has not been given financial and administrative independence, which may affect the fairness and efficiency of the election process.

The Election Commission, in a letter written to the Chief Secretary of West Bengal on July 17, said that the office of the Chief Election Officer in the state has very limited financial powers.

He is working only on minor permanent advance i.e. small budget, which comes dependent on the Finance Department. This is hampering his independent functionality.

The election office is under the Home Department
The Election Commission also informed that the office of the Chief Election Officer has been placed under the Department of Home and Hill Affairs of the state.

The head of this department is a Principal Secretary level officer, while the post of Chief Election Officer is of Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) level. The Commission has called this situation inharmonious and has asked to correct it as soon as possible.

Recommendation to create a separate election department
The Election Commission has recommended that the state government create an independent election department, which is completely different from any other department.

For this, a separate budget head should be arranged so that the election department can get independent financial and administrative rights. The Commission says that this independence is necessary for conducting fair and effective elections.

Election officer should get these rights - Commission
The Commission has said that the Chief Election Officer of the state should be given the same financial powers as are given to an Additional Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary or Secretary level officer. This will enable them to independently fulfill the necessary administrative and financial needs related to election conduct.

Instructions to fill the vacant posts soon
The Election Commission has also said that four posts of Additional, Joint and Deputy Election Officers in the Chief Election Officer's office have been vacant for a long time.

The Commission has requested the state government to start the process of filling these posts soon in consultation with the Commission, so that there is no hindrance in the pre-election preparations.

West Bengal Assembly elections will be held next year

It is worth noting that assembly elections are to be held in West Bengal next year. In such a situation, the Election Commission wants to keep the state administrative machinery ready in advance.

The Commission believes that if the election department is not independent and strong, then it may be difficult to conduct fair elections.