On November 9, the Election Commission of India announced a sharp crackdown on booth‑level officers (BLOs) in West Bengal after finding serious irregularities in the distribution of enumeration forms for the state’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The commission has filed FIRs against eight booth‑level assistants (BLAs) who allegedly took the election forms away from the BLOs and handed them out themselves. In addition, the commission has issued showcause notices to eight BLOs who have been accused of bypassing the required door‑to‑door distribution method and instead handing out forms from a single location.
Even after the commission’s ultimatum, these eight offenders continued the shortcut approach, prompting the commission to issue further notices. The affected BLOs come from districts including Cooch Bihar, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas.
To curb the problem, the Election Commission ordered Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) to monitor the BLOs closely during the revision process, ensuring that they follow the Electoral Commission of India (ECI) guidelines. The commission also warned BLOs against giving the responsibility of handing out enumeration forms to third parties—such as relatives, friends, or acquaintances—labeling such conduct as a severe breach of conduct.
Since the SIR started on Tuesday, more than four crore enumeration forms have been distributed up to 8 p.m. on Saturday. Sources say the full distribution should finish before the end of the month. According to the CEO’s office, West Bengal’s electorate stands at 766,37,529 names as of October 27.
If a voter’s name—or that of a parent—appears on the 2002 electoral roll, the individual only needs to fill out the enumeration form to stay on the voter list. However, if a name did not appear in 2002, the voter must submit one of eleven specific documents to keep their name in the rolls. This step is the sole requirement for those who need to add themselves to the current register.
Source: ianslive
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