Training of polling personnel commences from 18th April 2009 - First day session may be commenced with welcome speech by SDO, BDO, Senior Officers

Training of Polling personnel starts from 18th April 2009 at 10.00 hrs. Let's make it interesting and effective by presence of BDO, SDO, ARO, ADMs and other senior officer personally initiating the opening session with welcome address. It is also requested to all of them to sit through at least one of the session of three hours as trainee, silently listening to the master trainers, without intervening except concluding remarks. However, these officers themselves act as master trainer/ trainer in some of the training halls. BDO must address polling personnel about welfare measures and security/ communication arrangements on poll day.

Attention SDOs and BDOs - MCC should be enforced strictly

With the nomination process about to complete MCC implementation must be looked into more closely and personally. What to check ?

1. No vehicle is used for campaigning by candidates without permission from ARO & SDO duly pasted on the windscreen of the vehicle. All such expenses must be reported and accounted for in the candidate's expenses.
2. No meeting/ procession without prior permission of police station, and no use of loudspeaker without written permission of SDO. BDO may receive such permission from local PS but must promptly transmit to SDO for permission.
3. No use of grounds/ buildings of educational institutions without written consent of the Institution and such permission must be granted to all political parties on equitable manner. SDOs must maintain register for recording such permission so as to monitor that these places are not monopolised by few political parties.
4. Wall writings - no defacement of public property in whatsoever manner as noted in ECI circulars. Defacement of private property with consent of owner in writing submitted to ARO within three days of collection of consent letter. However, written consent of owner must be obtained prior to defacement of the property.
5. No slogan/ campaigning in violation of S 123 of RP Act.
6. All expenses on campaigning material, printing material, meetings, use of vehicles, advertisement in print, electronic media, cable etc should be accounted in the election expenses and must be shown in the expenditure register supplied to candidates.
7. Enforcement of provisions of law regarding preventive measures, against intimidation and confidence measures.
8. Viedography of critical events and public meetings of candidates and star campaigners.
9. Daily viewing of CDs and taking action on violations in consultation with ARO/RO. Copies of CDs must be sent to observers also.
10. Tracking of complaints on MCC violations and taking action to prevent the same.

Identity Cards Policy - Final

Identity cards to staff and officials on election duty is mandatory in this election. List of ID categories are noted herein to clear confusion :-

1. ID cards to Officers :- RO, ARO, Executive Magistrates, Other senior officers at Subdivision and district HQ, BDOs shall be issued from Election Section Nadia in consultation with ADM in charge. Digital photographs of these officers can be emailed to OC Election with particulars like Name, Designation, Election Designation, Office address etc for preparation of laminated cards. DEO's original signature shall be used. Senior officers posted at District and Subdivision HQ of gazetted rank will also come under this category. LO to observers shall also be issued these cards. Officer in charges in Cells and Associate Officers at District HQ shall also come under this category. These cards shall be valid for counting centres also provided the officer has been assigned duties.

2. ID cards to sector officers and other officers of that rank :- Appointment letter shall be issued by SDOs as ARO for all ACs falling under his/ her control. ID cards shall be prepared by SDOs with the help of BDOs using DEO's scanned signature/ facsimile as the case may be. Register shall be maintained and authenticated by ARO issuing ID cards against each entry. ID number should be given on the body of the cards. They can either use digital image of sector officers if possible or paste photograph on the printed ID cards as has been done in case of Micro Observers and do stamp with official seal.

Officers posted at DCRC, Strong Room etc can also be issued cards in this manner.

3. Cards/ badges to DCRC staff :- As per prevailing practice, badges/ Cards (Not necessarily photo cards) can be issued to staff deputed on DCRC duties. However, they may be advised to carry official ID cards. Contingent menial may be given different colour badges. Same system may be followed at the time of EVM commissioning. White entry passes to Govt employees and yellow to contingent menials, labourers can be issued.

4. ID cards to poll duty staff :- Polling personnel have been given blank ID cards with the request to paste photograph and submit to training hall in charge for stamping/ facsimile signature of DM & DEO Nadia. The ID cards shall be issued on the same day before the training is over. Micro Observers shall also be issued ID cards in the same manner, but the card may be good quality, different in colour. Registers must be maintained and signed by the officer authorised to use DM & DEO's facsimile.

5. ID cards to non Govt staff/ Govt staff deputed for photography purpose at booths/ MCC teams : SDOs shall issue the cards with stamping of DEO & DM and facsimile signature.

6. Others if any : By SDO as ARO.

This has been discussed in the meeting with all officers at Collectorate on 16th April 2009 and agreed upon. All formats of entry passes/ ID cards where photograph is to be pasted and stamped shall be printed and supplied by Printing & Forms cell to all SDOs. Laminated cards of officers can be printed directly from computer and either laminated or lapel cards can be used.

Polling personnel training letters issued - BLOs need not be exempted

Appointment for training to polling personnel has already been served to concerned officers/ staff on 13th April 2009, others will certainly get it on 16th April 2009. A large number of polling personnel from Kalyani Subdivision have to perform poll duty in Ranaghat and Krishnagar PC, few of them in Karimpur AC also. We are trying our best to accommodate poll duties within PC in which the officer/staff is posted/ resides. Nobody can be posted in home AC or office AC.

BLOs were exempted from poll duties as they are likely to be used for Assistance booth at double or above booth premises and also for booth level works regarding EPIC, Electoral Rolls, ASD. However, it might be possible that some of them (may be 10 % of total) got poll duty letters because of shortage of polling personnel. It has been decided for the time being that such BLOs may not be exempted from poll duty and shall undergo trainings along with others. They may be exempted on DC day if possible. Sector Officers, DCRC staff/officers and other staff employed by SDOs/BDOs/District HQ for actual election work will be exempted from poll duty. Such cases can be brought to the notice of PP cell. Polling personnel who are political functionaries (office bearers) of political parties/trade union will also be exempted from poll duty. If any such case is noticed, that should be promptly brought to notice of SDOs/PP cell.

Exemptions can be processed by SDOs but exemption shall take place through computer generated software only, therefore can be given effect at District level.

All polling personnel attending training must bring two passport size photographs duly pasted on ID card supplied along with appointment letter. At the end of first day training ID card shall be issued to them with signature of DEO and stamped. ID card issued by DEO is must for poll duty this time. In case of micro observers also the same procedure shall be followed.

Central Govt employees of Group A & B shall be appointed Micro Observer, therefore clerical and Gr D have been given polling personnel duties as allowed by ECI.

Permission for use of vehicles by Candidates to be granted by SDOs as AROs

Nomination process is going on. Candidates are required to take permission of vehicles used for poll campaigning from the Returning Officers and display such permission prominently on the windscreen. It has been decided that such permission to the Candidate or his election agent can be granted by ARO & SDO at Subdivision level for convenience of the Candidates. However, list of vehicles permitted to each Candidate by ARO on daily basis has to be furnished to observers, RO/DEO and local BDO/ Police Station for record.

Permission letter must bear the number of vehicle, name of Candidate and name of political party, date of issue and PC name etc. A letter showing the format of register to be maintained at Subdivision level has been circulated by email/ fax. RTO Nadia or OC Statutory cell at Collectorate can be contacted for further details/ queries.

There is no ceiling on number of vehicles to be used for poll campaigning, but expenses must be noted in the election expense register.

Meeting with all officers at 4 pm on 16th April 2009 at Collectorate Conference hall to review election preparedness

A meeting of officials to review arrangements for training to polling personnel from 18th April 2009 is scheduled at 4 pm on 16th April 2009. It is now decided that this meeting will be followed by a meeting of all cell in charges, ADMs in the Collectorate Conference hall. Therefore, both the meetings shall be held at Conference hall and will be attended by All officers/ ADMs and SDO Sadar. OCs of cells must bring written progress report of activities assigned to their cells for discussion.

Natun Borsho 1416 er Priti O Subhechha Railo

We Wish all readers happy bangla new year 1416.

Natun Borsho Bhalo Katuk.

comET - please update contact details of police officials

comET post on this blog speaks about updating of communication plan of civil officials. There is column for contact details of police stations and OCs also. BDOs/ SDOs may please give a copy of contact numbers of police as uploaded on website to Police for verification of correctness of mobile numbers. All modifications, if any, must be corrected online on www.ecicp.nic.in using log in and password already given.

Observers are likely to arrive at on 17th April 2009 evening and stay at their respective places of stay.

CEO's video conference on 13th April 2009

CEO West Bengal had video conference today. Following are the Clarifications/ information for guidance:- COMMUNICATION PLAN ComET is the name ECI has given to it, that means Communication for Election Tracking. All communication channels right upto the polling station forms the network. Details of communication protocol, principles of its functioning can be downloaded from www.eci.nic.in. The Communication [Plan needs to be Uploaded in the ECI’s website and all modifications or editing should be completed by 20th of April, thereafter the data is final for preparation of PDF files. I must congratulate Team Nadia we have completed 100 % uploading. Error rectification, changes in names or numbers must be completed by 20th April 2009. There will be a dry run on this Plan at all India level on 2nd May for the districts going to polls on the 2nd phase from the Office of The CEO, WB as well as from the Election Commission of India, New Delhi. The parallel chain of Communication needs to be strengthened by way of proper engagement of BLOs and other Contact Persons. Utmost importance is required to be given to BLOs and their exemption from polling duty needs to be ensured. In case of shortfall/ ineffectiveness of contact person BLO can be used as contact person. But please do update the information on ECI website. Presiding Officers may be provided SIM cards with closed users group for communication on poll day. CLOSED USER GROUP BSNL authorities are being requested to issue SIM Cards Polling station wise with “Closed User Group Facilities” between the Pr Officers and the Block level Communication Officers only. For Sector Officers using personal Mobile phones, a token Recharge value of Rs 50/- may be given. CONTROL ROOM A round the clock Control Room, manned by staff from line department not associated with Election will have to be opened for the District on and from 4th May, 09. BLO-BLA MEETING The ASD list for Absentee, Shifted and Duplicate voters will have to be prepared in the BLO-BLA meeting on 23rd April 2009. Care should be taken to prepare the Absentee (Missing voter without Family Linkage), Shifted (Missing voter with Family linkage) and Duplicate voters/ Duplicate EPIC. 2nd supplement, ASD, EPIC distribution list can be discussed in these meetings. MICRO-OBSERVERS Regarding deployment of Micro Observers, those booths where CPF will not be deployed, would be given priority. Rest booths in order of priority from critical and vulnerability point of view shall be provided Digital Camera, video Camera. All critical polling booths should be covered by CPF>Micro-observer>Video camera>digital camera in this order. BLOs can be deputed at Assistance booth in case of shortage of other staff.