Babulal Marandi asks Congress for booth-level account of voter assistance during SIR

Jharkhand Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi on Wednesday questioned the Congress over its role at the grassroots level during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asking the party to provide a booth-wise account of the assistance extended to voters.

Marandi said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had repeatedly raised concerns over voters’ rights and the electoral roll, but the party should also explain what its workers and booth-level representatives were doing to help eligible voters during the revision process.

He pointed out that political parties have a defined role in the electoral-roll revision process through Booth Level Agents (BLAs). Parties nominate authorised representatives through BLA-1, while BLA-2 is used for appointing booth agents.

According to Marandi, these booth-level representatives can coordinate with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and assist eligible people whose names have not been included in the electoral rolls for various reasons.

He also referred to Form 6, through which eligible citizens can apply for inclusion of their names in the electoral roll. If an application is rejected, the applicant has the option of appealing against the decision, with such cases considered by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) after verification.

Against this backdrop, Marandi asked how many eligible voters had been assisted by Congress booth agents in submitting applications for inclusion in the electoral roll. He also sought details of the number of cases in which Congress representatives had helped applicants pursue the appeal process.

"If there has been any genuine irregularity during the SIR, the Congress should present evidence instead of merely making allegations," Marandi said, adding that specific complaints should be taken up with the concerned election authorities for resolution.

He also questioned whether the Congress has active representatives appointed under the BLA-1 and BLA-2 mechanisms and whether they are actually working at the booth level to assist voters.

Marandi said the Congress, being an established political party with long experience of the electoral process, should make its grassroots efforts during the SIR public.

Instead of merely expressing concern over the revision process, he said, the party should disclose how many people its workers and booth agents actually helped during the exercise.