EC Warns Officers Over Leaked WhatsApp Message on Voter Roll Portal Access
In a fresh controversy, Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee posted a WhatsApp instruction on Saturday, alleging that electoral registration officers (EROs) were no longer able to monitor the progress of Summary Revision (SIR) on the Election Commission of India (ECI) portal. This action has ignited a spat, with the Election Commission issuing a warning to officers about misconduct related to leaking internal instructions.
Banerjee's Allegations and EC's Response
This marks the second instance where Banerjee has shared WhatsApp screenshots of EC instructions, with the latest appearing to be issued by West Bengal's chief electoral officer, Manoj Agarwal. In an X post, Banerjee flagged what he termed a triple violation by the EC, asserting that EROs are responsible for ensuring no Indian voter is excluded from the electoral rolls.
He claimed that when district election officers (DEOs) questioned why EROs could not access all parts of the portal, the CEO responded that assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) are at par with EROs and that EROs cannot legally supervise disposals handled by AEROs. Banerjee argued this constitutes a gross violation of norms, suggesting it was a design to arbitrarily delete names of Bengal voters.
Legal and Regulatory Violations Cited
Banerjee further alleged that this move violates Section 13B of the Representation of the People Act, which mandates that electoral rolls shall be prepared and revised by an electoral registration officer. He also cited Section 13C, stating that AEROs are to assist any electoral registration officer in the performance of his functions and are subject to the control of the electoral registration officer.
Additionally, he accused the EC of violating Supreme Court orders and its own regulations, expressing alarm over what he described as a cavalier and dismissive response from the chief electoral officer when the issue was escalated through DEOs.
CEO Agarwal's Defense and Leak Consequences
In response, CEO Manoj Agarwal stated, It is very unfortunate that some official communication among the DEOs has been purposefully leaked by a bureaucrat, and he knows the consequences. He emphasized that he would not engage in policing but labeled the leak as gross misconduct by the officer who sent internal messages to the MP.
Agarwal clarified that the EC has nothing to hide and asserted that the leak was done with mala fide intent. He explained that EROs and AEROs are at the same level, and EROs are not granted full portal access due to a complaint from Baranagar, where an ERO allegedly attempted malpractice by misusing another person's login, necessitating this security measure to plug loopholes.
The incident underscores ongoing tensions between political parties and election authorities over voter roll management and transparency in West Bengal.
