Kolkata, March 13 (NationPress) – The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to implement sensitivity-mapping to guide its decision-making regarding the district-wise assignment of police observers for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal, anticipated later this year.

An insider from the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office in West Bengal revealed that the ECI is considering several key factors in the district-wise sensitivity-mapping process.

“The mapping will categorize districts into three groups. The first includes areas sharing an International Border with Bangladesh. The second consists of regions that have experienced significant poll-related violence in the last three elections. The third category encompasses districts that meet the criteria of both the first and second groups,” the insider explained.

Notable examples of districts in the third category include Murshidabad, Malda, and Cooch Behar, all of which share borders with Bangladesh and have histories of severe election-related violence.

Conversely, districts like Howrah, adjacent to Kolkata, serve as examples of the second category, as they have a record of substantial political violence despite lacking an International Border.

Given these considerations, the ECI is contemplating an increase in the number of central observers across all categories, particularly police observers, in these critical areas, according to the source.

During the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, the ECI designated 170 general observers, 84 expenditure observers, and 37 police observers.

“The ECI's headquarters in New Delhi has already informed the CEO's office that there will be a significant rise in the number of observers in all three categories this time, especially police observers. The anticipated number of police observers for West Bengal will be at least 100 or more, nearly three times the count from 2021,” the insider noted.

Additionally, the insider elaborated on the reasons behind the ECI's focus on tripling the number of police observers.

“This time, police observers will possess greater authority, particularly concerning the movement of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel. In previous elections, the authority to determine CAPF movement was held by District Magistrates, who also served as District Electoral Officers during the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

“However, this year, the ECI has decided that police observers will take charge of determining CAPF movements within their respective districts. Furthermore, district-specific composite teams will be established to evaluate pocket-wise needs for CAPF deployment, with the police observers' decisions being final in this regard. Therefore, the Commission has resolved to significantly increase the number of police observers this election cycle,” he stated.

Sources from the CEO's office also indicated that district-specific composite teams would be created to assess the requirements for CAPF deployment on a pocket-wise basis, with police observers having the final say in these matters.