A heated exchange during an Election Commission review meeting led to the removal of an observer after he objected to the CEC’s remarks. The Commission later clarified the action was due to “professional incompetence”, not the confrontation.
A high-level election review meeting in Kolkata turned tense on Wednesday after a senior election observer openly disagreed with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, leading to his immediate removal from duty.
The meeting was conducted virtually by the full bench of the Election Commission to assess poll preparedness. During the discussion, Anurag Yadav, who was serving as the general observer for Cooch Behar South and holds the rank of Principal Secretary in the Uttar Pradesh government, raised objections to certain remarks made by the Chief Election Commissioner.
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According to sources, the situation escalated when Kumar reportedly told the officer to “go back home”. This remark triggered a strong response from Yadav, who said,
“You can’t treat us like this. We have given 25 years to the service. You can’t speak like this.”
The exchange created a brief moment of silence in the meeting before proceedings continued with other agenda items. Soon after the incident, the Election Commission removed Yadav from his role as general observer.
However, officials from the Election Commission clarified that the decision to remove Yadav was not because of the confrontation during the meeting. They stated that the action was taken due to concerns about his performance and termed it as a case of “professional incompetence.”
Sources further revealed that during the review, Yadav was asked basic questions about his assigned constituency, including the number of polling booths. He was reportedly unable to give accurate answers, which led to criticism from the Commission.
A senior Election Commission official explained the seriousness of the issue, stating,
“An observer is the eyes and ears of the Commission. If an officer, after spending several days on the ground, cannot verify basic details like the number of polling stations, it raises serious questions about the integrity of the process.”
The meeting also focused on identifying sensitive and vulnerable polling booths in the Cooch Behar region. West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal suggested that authorities may consider imposing prohibitory orders in such areas to maintain law and order during voting.
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In addition, the state administration has taken steps to improve polling arrangements. The Chief Secretary has appointed a nodal officer in each district to ensure that all polling stations provide minimum assured facilities to voters, as confirmed by a senior Election Commission official.
The incident highlights the strict accountability standards maintained by the Election Commission during elections, especially when it comes to ground-level verification and preparedness by its appointed observers.
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