NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Thursday decided to send 19 observers to West Bengal next week to review the on-going revision of electoral rolls as well as to scrutinise the issue of Electronic Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) in the run-up to the Assembly polls.

The Chief Election Commissioner, B.B. Tandon and the Deputy Commissioner, Anand Kumar, will visit Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai on January 9 and 10 when they will meet the District Collectors and review the poll preparedness. They will also review the progress of revision of rolls and the status of the cases filed in the State against those responsible for stuffing of rolls.

According to highly placed sources, these decisions were taken at a meeting of the Full Commission held on Thursday.

Sources said 19 observers, including its Adviser K. J. Rao, were being deputed, one for each district in West Bengal to conduct a random check of the ongoing revision of electoral rolls. The observers would reach the respective district headquarters on January 9 and hold meetings with political parties the next day. They would undertake field visits between January 11 and 16 and were expected to submit their reports to the Commission on January 18. Mr. Rao would visit Nadiad district. During their stay in the districts, the observers would verify the correctness of the revision process and the issue of EPICs.

Last week, the Commission wrote to the State pointing out "glaring irregularities" in the issue of EPICs to voters in the State. It had said: "The EPICs have been distributed in a most casual way in violation of the Commission's existing instructions. The EPICs of a number of electors have been handed over to one person under his signature or almost all cards have been distributed with acknowledgment receipt obtained in the form of thumb impression, which have not been duly verified by any official."

The Commission had asked the CEO to fix responsibility for such lapses and explanation of such delinquent officials should be called for and action taken in the matter should be intimated by January 5.

He was also asked to provide more venues for public hearing on claims and objections in the electoral rolls. Accordingly, the CEO sent a report to the Commission. He had also confirmed to the Commission that such centres had become operational in the State.

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