The Bengal government potentially stands to face problems in claiming reimbursement from the Election Commission of India for costs it would incur to set up assured minimum facilities (AMF) in the booths ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
Sources in Nabanna said that in the normal course of events, the EC reimburses expenditure incurred under the AMF that includes jobs like building ramps, repairing boundary walls and putting up drinking water sources and lights. These spendings need to be vetted by the principal accountant-general's office in Bengal before submitting the reimbursement claim to the EC.
This time, Mackintosh Burn Ltd, a state-owned company under the PWD, refused to take up AMF work, citing lack of manpower even after the PWD had assigned the company the work in July.
Hence, the state government will be forced to find another agency.
The ambit of the job is huge. First, the BDOs, AEROs, EROs and district officials will survey each of the 81,000-odd booths to check the facilities already in place. Once existing facilities in each booth are uploaded on the website of Bengal's chief electoral officer, the state government needs to float a tender for an agency that will complete the remaining work at the booths.
“However, the BDOs, AEROs, EROs and district officials will continue to be busy with the ongoing SIR till February 7, the fate of the survey and the process to float a tender for AMF work hangs in the balance,” said a bureaucrat.
No tenders, sources said, can be floated after poll dates are declared. It is expected that dates of Bengal's Assembly polls could be announced by February-end. In that case, the state will get a very small window to complete the procedure and float a tender for an agency.
If there is no time, the state may be forced to get spot quotations from agencies to undertake the work. The cost of the job has been pegged at around ₹2,500 crore. But any technical hitch in the floating of tenders could hurt the prospect of getting the expenditure reimbursed by the EC.
“Proper paperwork and tender process need to be followed to get the expenditure vetted by the principal accountant general. A last-minute spot quotation from agencies makes things complicated to get it ratified. Ahead of the 2024 general elections, the state had undertaken work under the AMF by issuing spot quotations. This is why the state government couldn't claim ₹1,200 crore as reimbursement from the EC till now,” said an official.
A section of the bureaucrats held the Mackintosh Burn Ltd responsible for the current uncertainty.
“Had the company expressed its inability in July when they were given the responsibility, the survey could have been completed by now by engaging an alternative agency. As the company washed its hands of the process in October and the top brass of the government remained silent on the company’s decision, survey work hasn't started yet,” said another official.
Expenditure under the AMF in Bengal came under EC scrutiny after it was found that thousands of crores were spent under the AMF ahead of the 2019, 2021 and 2024 elections. The Bengal CEO, Manoj Agarwal, wrote to chief secretary Manoj Pant, asking him to furnish the details of expenditure incurred under the AMF ahead of the 2019, 2021 and 2024 elections.
“The EC wanted to be sure that the work already carried out should not be repeated. Duplication of work means misuse of public funds, which will tarnish the EC's image,” said a poll panel source.