Kolkata, Jan 26 (IANS): The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday awarded four District Magistrates in West Bengal for their 'outstanding performance' during the Parliamentary elections in the state in 2024.
They are S. Ponnambalam of West Burdwan district, N Siyad of Bankura, Sumit Gupta of South 24 Parganas and Shama Parveen of Jalpaiguri.
Jalpaiguri is the only district in the northern sector of West Bengal and the remaining three are in South Bengal.
The district magistrates act as the district election officer in any general elections, Lok Sabha or state assembly.
According to bureaucratic circles, the performances of the district magistrates, especially as regards to neutrality, plays an important role in ensuring free and fair elections by the Election Commission of India as well as the offices of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)s concerned.
Insiders from the office of the CEO, West Bengal said that Ponnambalam of West Burdwan and N Siyad have been awarded by the commission of ensuring error-free voters' list in the respective districts after inclusion of new voters in the list.
According to bureaucratic circles, ensuring publication of district-wise error- free voters' list is the first and primary step in ensuring free and fair elections, especially in a state like West Bengal where the complaints of the fake voters, dead voters and duplicate voters have been continuing in the district-wise lists had been there for a long time.
On the other hand, insiders from the office of CEO, West Bengal said that Gupta of South 24 Parganas and Parveen of Jalpaiguri have been awarded by the commission for their initiatives in conducting awareness drives to encourage voters in the respective districts to vote in the large number reflecting the spirit of democratic festivity.
In the Lok Sabha elections last year the commission had specially emphasized on increased turnout of voters at the polling booths on the polling dates and also stressed on large-scale awareness campaigns on this count throughout the country.