The Election Commission of India has sent a list of the names of more than 5 lakh state government employees, who were engaged as polling personnel during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, to the Bengal administration after the state could deploy booth level officers (BLOs) in only 60 per cent of one lakh-odd booths following the recent guidelines of the EC.
The move, sources said, assumes significance as the EC has made it clear that it will leave no stone unturned to engage BLOs according to the criteria fixed by it in a bid to prepare an error-free electoral roll ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
“The state was asked to engage BLOs in all 1 lakh-odd booths from among regular state government employees of Group C category and above, local bodies and teachers of state-aided schools. But the state could engage BLOs in just 60 per cent of the booths so far,” said an official of the poll panel.
“The EC has sent a list of the names of government employees who worked as polling personnel in the last Lok Sabha elections to help the state check if 40,000 more eligible employees could be engaged as BLOs. The polling personnel are in Group C and above categories,” the official added.
A section of state government officials said that in case BLOs with requisite criteria could not be found, the state could engage anganwadi workers, contract teachers and central government employees as alternatives. But the EC is trying hard to ensure that a minimum number of anganwadi workers or contract teachers are appointed as BLOs since central government employees who fulfil the criteria are very less in rural areas.
“The state government can definitely appoint contract teachers and anganwadi workers as BLOs in the absence of the eligible employees. Since contract teachers and anganwadi workers are not direct government employees or do not enjoy a pension, they cannot be made accountable in case they don’t follow the instructions of the EC. This is why the EC is laying stress on appointing BLOs who fulfil the criteria fixed by it,” said a bureaucrat.
In case the state fails to find eligible employees, election registration officers (EROs) — who are usually BDOs or SDOs — would have to secure a no-objection certificate from the chief electoral officer of Bengal by signing a declaration that employees with the required criteria could not be found in that particular booth.
“The EC sent a message to the EROs that it had details of all the state government employees. In case it is found that EROs recommended an alternative employee as a BLO even if there was an employee with the required criteria, they could be pulled up,” said an official.
Sources also said that the way the poll panel was laying stress on finding BLOs with requisite criteria showed that the poll panel could start special intensive revision of electoral rolls in the state within a couple of months or so.
“As the BLOs will play an important role in identifying the names of dead and shifted voters on the electoral roll and inclusion of new voters — two main criteria for preparing an error-free roll — the EC is focused on appointing BLOs fulfilling the criteria,” said a source.