August 7, 2025

Hold on to your hats! The Election Commission of India (ECI) dropped a bombshell on Tuesday by suspending four West Bengal government officers. These include two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs). Why? They allegedly stuffed the electoral rolls with fake voters and seriously messed up data security. The ECI didn’t just stop there. It also ordered the West Bengal chief secretary to file FIRs against these four officers and a data entry operator. The two EROs are from the West Bengal Civil Service (executive) cadre. The story came to light after the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal sent a report on July 29. The report said the EROs and AEROs from Baruipur Purba and Moyna assembly areas were adding names to voter lists that should never have been there. Plus, they shared their secret login details with unauthorized people! The ECI letter made it clear, “The said officers have not only failed to perform duty as ERO and AERO while disposing off the applications but also violated the policy of data security while sharing their login credentials of the electoral roll database with unauthorized persons.” This scandal broke open when the poll panel checked some fresh voter applications and found these officers accepted tons of Form 6 from fake voters. Worse, the all-important verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) was skipped. And that’s not all — these officers gave access to the ERO Net, a key electoral roll management system, to unauthorized users. Once the CEO of West Bengal caught wind of this, district officials were told to act fast. District Magistrates, who also serve as District Election Officers, were told to build teams of senior officers to investigate every Form 6 application processed in the last year. Is West Bengal about to face a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) like Bihar did? Speculations are swirling since assembly polls are coming in 2026. The ECI is preparing by asking political parties for their Booth Level Agents lists and training BLOs. The ECI’s letter was harsh: “The officers shall be placed under suspension for their failure in supervising the election related work, with immediate effect and suitable disciplinary proceedings be initiated against them without delay. In addition, FIRs be lodged against the erring EROs and AEROs for their action which potentially amounts to criminal misconduct. Furthermore, FIR shall also be lodged against the casual data entry operator.” But it’s not just an administrative matter — a political storm has shaken West Bengal. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP are locked in fierce battle over the possible SIR move. Samik Bhattacharya, BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP, cheered the ECI’s action, saying, “We welcome the move by the ECI. The people of West Bengal want an electoral roll free of illegal Bangladeshis, Rohingyas, dead voters and voters with multiple entries. The people have seen how the ruling TMC conducts the panchayat and municipal polls. Law-and-order has deteriorated and citizen’s right to vote are being infringed upon. The administration has been politicised.” On the other side, TMC’s spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya fired back, “Suvendu Adhikari, BJP MLA and leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly, has recently said that FIRs were lodged against more than 400 government officers in Bihar and more than 50 were arrested during the SIR exercise. If someone is genuinely at fault, the ECI is free to take action. But we want to ask whether the ECI is following the lines in which Adhikari has spoken to create a fear psychosis among government officers.” With elections on the horizon, West Bengal’s electoral rolls and election officials are under intense spotlight. The ECI’s firm steps are sending ripples across political waters. Stay tuned!

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Tags: Election commission, West bengal, Fictitious voters, Electoral roll, Eros suspension, Data security,