SIR in Bengal: ECI crackdown on BLAs, BLOs over ‘irregularities’

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched a stringent crackdown on booth-level officers (BLOs) in West Bengal, following allegations of grave irregularities during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

According to senior officials in the chief electoral officer’s (CEO) office, the commission has taken decisive action — FIRs have been lodged against eight booth-level agents (BLAs) accused of meddling in the distribution of enumeration forms, unlawfully taking possession of them from BLOs, and distributing them on their own.

Simultaneously, show-cause notices have been issued to eight BLOs for flouting Commission norms by adopting “shortcut” methods of distribution. Instead of the mandated door-to-door delivery of forms, these officers allegedly chose to hand them out from a fixed location — a clear violation of ECI’s prescribed procedure.

The poll panel, after issuing an earlier ultimatum to desist from such practices, acted swiftly when reports surfaced that the same BLOs continued to ignore directives. The errant officials hail from Cooch Behar, North 24-Parganas, and South 24-Parganas districts.

Reiterating its zero-tolerance stance, the ECI has instructed electoral registration officers (EROs) and assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) to maintain strict surveillance over BLO activities during the revision exercise. Any attempt to delegate the distribution of forms to relatives, friends, or third parties, the commission warned, would be treated as a “serious breach of conduct”.

The Special Intensive Revision began in the state on Tuesday, with over four crore enumeration forms distributed by Saturday evening, officials said, expressing confidence that the process would conclude before the end of the month.

As of 27 October, West Bengal’s electoral roll stood at 7.66 crore voters. Those whose names — or their parents’ names — were present in the 2002 SIR rolls need only submit the new enumeration form to confirm their details. However, voters whose family names were not included in that list must now furnish any one of 11 specified identity documents to validate their inclusion in the updated rolls.

Through this renewed vigilance, the Election Commission seeks to send a clear message — that the integrity of the ballot begins at the doorstep of every voter, and even the smallest breach in process will invite the heaviest scrutiny.

With IANS inputs