Three days before booth-level officers are scheduled to begin door-to-door verification and updates of electoral rolls, some have voiced concerns.
“Who will guarantee our security? Should we make visits during school hours or after? How can we enter neighbourhoods in the evening? Who will be responsible for us?” asked a teacher at Netaji Indoor Stadium, where booth-level officers (BLOs) underwent final training on Saturday.
The month-long exercise to confirm voters listed on the rolls — some of whom may have died or migrated — starts November 4.
According to Election Commission guidelines, the BLOs will visit homes with enumeration forms for voters to verify their information.
In Bengal’s politically charged atmosphere with Assembly elections due next year, both the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP have criticised government employees tasked with this vital, challenging job of preparing accurate electoral rolls.
The Election Commission’s 2011 handbook for the BLOs states that local government or semi-government employees, preferably familiar with voters in the area, are selected.
“BLO is the EC’s grassroots representative, pivotal to roll revision and collecting accurate information for each polling area,” the handbook states.
The BLOs are appointed under section 13B(2) of the Representation of People Act, 1950, by the district electoral officer in consultation with electoral registration officers (EROs). The pool the BLOs are chosen from includes includes teachers both on payroll and contract, corporation tax collectors, clerical staff, anganwadi workers, patwaris, panchayat secretaries, village-level workers, electricity bill readers, postmen, auxiliary nurses, midwives and mid-day meal workers.
A whopping 700 teachers selected as the BLOs had refused appointment letters, prompting the state chief electoral officer to remind the education secretary that teachers must comply or risk action by the central poll panel.
Bengal's history of political violence is well documented. Tensions are high. Trinamool’s Cooch Behar chairman, Girindranath Burman, and Basanti MLA, Shyamal Mandal, have told supporters to “tie the BLOs to trees” if they visit.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has reminded the BLOs in Bengal that in poll-bound Bihar, 52 of their counterparts are still in jail for “not following orders”.
