SIR in Bengal: ECI Cracks Down on BLOs, BLAs over ‘Irregularities’ in Enumeration Process

Kolkata — The Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated a crackdown on Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth-Level Agents (BLAs) in West Bengal over alleged irregularities and violations of prescribed procedures during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.

According to sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, and the Commission, FIRs have been filed against eight BLAs accused of interfering with the distribution of enumeration forms, taking possession of the forms from BLOs, and distributing them independently — in violation of ECI norms.

Simultaneously, the Commission has issued show-cause notices to eight BLOs for bypassing the required door-to-door distribution process. These officers allegedly distributed forms from a single location instead of visiting individual households, which contravenes the ECI’s guidelines.

Despite receiving a prior ultimatum on Friday to correct their approach, the eight BLOs reportedly continued using the same shortcut method, prompting the Commission to initiate disciplinary action.

These errant BLOs are based in the Cooch Behar, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas districts, sources confirmed.

The ECI has now directed Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) to closely monitor BLO activities throughout the revision process to ensure strict adherence to official procedures.

The Commission also reiterated its warning that delegating duties to third parties — whether relatives, friends, or acquaintances — would be treated as a serious breach of conduct.

The Special Intensive Revision began on Tuesday, and as of 8 p.m. on Saturday, more than four crore enumeration forms had already been distributed.

“Going by the current pace, we expect to complete the form distribution process well before the end of this month,” said an official from the CEO’s office.

As of October 27, West Bengal’s total number of registered electors stood at 7,66,37,529.

Under the ongoing revision, voters whose names or their parents’ names appeared in the 2002 electoral roll — the last time an SIR was conducted in the state — need only fill out the enumeration form to retain their registration, without submitting additional documents.

However, those not listed in the 2002 rolls must provide one of 11 specified documents as proof to remain in the updated voter list.

With inputs from IANS