EC appoints 5 senior IAS officers as Special Roll Observers for SIR in West Bengal
Kolkata (PTI): The Election Commission on Monday appointed five senior IAS officers as Special Roll Observers (SRO) for various divisions of West Bengal to oversee the work relating to the SIR exercise, officials said.
Ministry of Defence Joint Secretary Kumar Ravi Kant Singh was appointed the SRO for the Presidency division, while Ministry of Home Affairs Joint Secretary Niraj Kumar Bansod was assigned the responsibility of the Medinipur division.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Joint Secretary Krishna Kumar Nirala was named the SRO for the Burdwan division, Department of Economic Affairs Joint Secretary Alok Tiwari has been made the SRO for the Malda division, and Department of Rural Development Joint Secretary Pankaj Yadav has been appointed the SRO for the Jalpaiguri division.
The EC had earlier appointed retired IAS officer Subrata Gupta as the Special Roll Observer in connection with the SIR, besides setting up a team of 12 IAS officers as Electoral Roll Observers to oversee the key aspects of preparation of the electoral roll and help the DEOs and EROs in taking corrective measures.
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"The appointment of SROs ensures enhanced scrutiny and transparency in the SIR process across all divisions. Their presence will strengthen monitoring and compliance with EC norms," an official at the CEO's office said.
"The observers will supervise electoral roll-related activities and ensure adherence to EC guidelines in their respective jurisdictions," he said.
The special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state began on November 4 with the distribution of enumeration forms, which will continue till December 11.
The draft electoral rolls will be published on December 16, and the final voters' list will be issued on February 14, 2026.
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'Ab kya hoga, ye rab jane...': Tharoor takes dig at failed US-Iran talks in Pakistan
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New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday took a swipe at the "failed" US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan with an Urdu couplet, saying only god knows now what will happen.
"Ab kya hoga, ye rab jane; Na woh mane, na ye mane (only god knows what will happen now as both sides did not agree)," Tharoor said on X, tagging a post-talks video clip of US Vice President J D Vance, who led the American delegation at the negotiations in Islamabad.
The United States and Iran failed to reach a peace deal at their historic 21-hour talks in Pakistan, leaving the fate of a tenuous two-week ceasefire in doubt, with both sides attempting to hold each other responsible for the collapse of the negotiations.
अब क्या होगा, ये रब जाने
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 13, 2026
ना वो माने, ना ये माने https://t.co/DYrXpa7C8h
Vance said the Iranian side did not accept Washington's terms for ending the war even as the US presented its "final and best offer".
Hours after the talks collapsed, US President Donald Trump said on social media that the negotiations with Tehran failed as "Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions".
Trump said the US Navy will actively interdict any vessel in international waters found to have paid tolls to Iran for transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiation team, said it is for the US to decide whether it can "earn our trust or not".
The Iranian foreign ministry, without elaborating, said the US side resorted to "excessive" and "illegal demands".
The failure to reach an agreement has dimmed the prospect of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to stabilise the global energy marke
