Election Commission appoints new Additional CEO, Joint CEO of West Bengal

Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed Arun Prasad as the new Additional Chief Electoral Officer (ACEO) and Harishankar Panikkar as the Joint Chief Electoral Officer (JCEO) of West Bengal, an official said on Thursday.

The appointments come ahead of the anticipated rollout of the Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal in October.

The ECI had requested the West Bengal government to submit a panel of names for these two positions. Prasad and Panikkar were selected from the list provided by the state government, the official added.

Prasad is a 2011-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, while Panikkar belongs to the 2013 batch.

The Election Commission has also asked for a new list of three candidates for the vacant Deputy Chief Electoral Officer position, with a specific requirement that the nominees must have substantial experience in electoral work.

The state government, following the Commission's directive, is preparing to send the new panel of names.

"These appointments were essential for ensuring smooth election processes, especially with the next year's Assembly elections," the official told PTI when contacted.