The Election Commission has directed the Chief Secretary of West Bengal to immediately suspend the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) and Block Development Officer (BDO) of Basirhat-II, Sumitra Pratim Prodhan, over serious lapses in electoral roll–related work.
In an official communication, the Commission stated that the officer had assigned four officials as Additional AEROs to conduct hearings on discrepancies in voter lists. However, these officials were never formally appointed as AEROs under Section 13C of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, rendering the process legally invalid.
The Commission termed the action as serious misconduct and a violation of statutory provisions governing electoral administration. It has ordered the immediate removal of the officer from all electoral roll–related duties and directed the state government to initiate disciplinary proceedings without delay.
The Chief Secretary has been asked to submit a detailed compliance report within 48 hours, along with regular updates on the progress of disciplinary action, as the Election Commission intensifies oversight to safeguard the integrity of electoral processes.
