Malda, May 15: Fifty-nine central and state government officials and teachers will be issued show-cause notices by the district magistrate for not showing up for duty for the April 12 Kharba Assembly by-polls.

“We have sent the list of 59 names to the district magistrate’s office after receiving instructions from him,” said Chanchol subdivisional officer Debashis Sarkar.

The list included four primary school teachers, a headmaster and four Eastern Railway staff, the subdivisional officer said.

District magistrate Chittaranjan Das said he had received the list and each one of them would be asked to explain their absence from the election duty.

“We will ask them to explain why their salaries should not be stopped. The employees had not taken permission for absence from poll duty,” the district magistrate said.

Das also said the district was already short-staffed for the May 18 panchayat elections. “As the returning officer, I cannot run the elections smoothly with less manpower than what we have at present,” Das added.