Calcutta, May 28: The election commission yesterday asked for another 40 WBCS (executive cadre) officials to be deployed as poll observers, locking horns with the Bengal government for the second time in the past few days over the choice of personnel.

The poll panel had last week written to the government on its objection to the state’s list of 410 officials it wanted as observers.

The list comprised names of 25 officials of the Indian Forest Service, 30 commercial tax officers and 51 promoted officers of the West Bengal Secretariat Service.

The panel had said the officials lacked experience in poll duty.

“The commission had refused to accept the list saying 106 of the total 410 officials had no experience in handling poll duties. Although the commission had asked the government to replace the 106 officials with those from the Indian Administrative Service and WBCS (executive cadre), the government had on Friday evening sent a list of only 40 WBCS (executive cadre) officials,” said a senior state government official.

The poll panel yesterday wrote to the government asking for the names of another 40 WBCS (executive cadre) officials.

The panel, however, has not said anything on replacing the remaining 26.

No sooner the letter reached Writers’ Buildings, officials of the personnel and administrative reforms department held several meetings to find out eligible names.

“It (the panel) has left us in a tight situation. We don’t have many WBCS (executive) officers in the rank of assistant secretary or above. We are not yet sure whether we would be able to send another 40 officials from the cadre. It would leave the departments virtually defunct,” said another official.

The state government wanted the commission to train the officials it had named in its earlier list and deploy them as observers.

But sources in the government said the commission refused to accept the proposal citing lack of time.

“The nomination process for the first phase would begin on Wednesday. The observers would have to start their duties as soon as the nomination process starts. So, the commission made it clear that they want officials who had handled polls earlier,” said an official.

Senior government officials said the commission had sought three senior IAS officers — Hridayesh Mohan, technical education secretary, Vivek Bhardwaj, consumer affairs secretary, and Vinod Kumar, commissioner commercial tax — as district observers.

The officials added that the three officers’ deployment as observers would affect day-to-day in their departments.

“This has left the state in a spot. The government is yet to take any decision in this regard,” an official said.