NEW DELHI : The Election Commission of India (ECI) is considering a proposal to set up dedicated verification counters outside polling stations in West Bengal to check the identity of voters whose faces are covered, such as by a burqa, ghunghat, scarf or other cloth, two senior commission officials said, asking not to be named.. The Election Commission of India. (File Photo). Under the proposed system, such voters would have their faces checked against their identity cards at the external counter before being allowed to enter the polling station. Under the existing procedure, voters with face coverings enter the polling station directly and are verified only at the time of casting their vote, inside the booth.. “The proposal is still in the pipeline and the final decision is yet to be taken. If approved, it may be introduced when the Model Code of Conduct comes into force; further operational details will be issued at that stage,” one of the officials said. “The verification will be uniform — it will be conducted only by women officials, female polling staff and Anganwadi Sevikas.”. The proposal is currently being examined for the West Bengal elections, but the officials said it could also be considered for other regions going to polls after further discussions.. The officials cited complaints of malpractice in past elections as one of the reasons for the proposal.. Both officials confirmed that state government officials will staff the verification counters. However, Anganwadi sevikas will conduct the actual face verification. Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel will deploy at the counters to ensure security and protect both the Anganwadi workers and voters from intimidation, pressure or interference during the verification process.. The poll panel and the state government have been locked in a legal dispute, with the Supreme Court noting a “trust deficit” between the two sides in its February 20 order. The Commission had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court alleging obstruction, lack of cooperation and intimidation of election officials by the state administration.. “Inside-booth verification depends entirely on state-appointed polling officers conducting the checks. Moving the process to an external counter under closer ECI supervision, staffed by Anganwadi workers, election officials and CAPF personnel, reduces reliance on regular polling staff and ensures better monitoring of the verification process,” one of the officials mentioned above said.. “It also creates a visible, documented and auditable checkpoint, generating a paper trail that would be easier to defend before the Supreme Court, which is already supervising the election,” they added.. The proposal raises several legal questions. The Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 — the two primary statutes governing elections — do not mention any face-verification procedure at polling stations. The officials qu