‘They ask me over and over’: Bengal BLOs fear tribunal questions in special drive

An organisation representing Booth Level Officers (BLOs) has expressed apprehension that they may face the ire of deleted voters. Others wonder how long the latest turn in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, of re-checking those voters “left out”, will keep them away from their day jobs. Some point out that it entails them doing an exercise done by them once already. However, the biggest question hanging over BLOs in West Bengal as they set out again is this: how do they tackle questions regarding those whose cases are hanging fire in appellate tribunals?

They also hope that clarity will be forthcoming in training sessions to be held for them after the Durga Puja holidays.

With questions swirling, the state CEO’s office put out a notice Tuesday saying that the special drive announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) applies to “left out eligible voters”, adding that BLOs should refer to the list of ASDD (Absentee, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate) voters. “Any person in this list may submit Form 6 online or through BLO for inclusion of his/her name in the Electoral Roll,” the notice said, apart from first-time voters who have now reached 18 years of age.

As reported by The Indian Express first, under fire over the scale of voter deletions, the ECI directed on September 29 that in the 20 states and Union Territories where the SIR was completed, a “special drive” will be held to enrol voters “left out” of the rolls. At a subsequent video conference with all state Chief Electoral Officers, the Deputy Election Commissioner present said pre-SIR and post-SIR rolls should be compared to draw up the list of those deleted, and identify any who may have been left out, as per officers who attended.

Distribution of enumeration forms to a resident in Barasat, North 24 Parganas. (Express file)

In the final electoral roll of West Bengal published on February 28 this year, 63.66 lakh voters were deleted, nearly 1.9 lakh added, while the cases of 60.06 lakh were listed as under adjudication. Of these, while 33 lakh-odd voters were restored to the electoral roll, cases of 27 lakh were referred to tribunals, which also took up around 16 lakh applications against inclusion.

Speaking to The Indian Express over the phone, Md Sahabuddin Mondol, a BLO of Barasat, North 24 Parganas, said: “Before the SIR, there were 1,279 voters in my booth. During the SIR, we found 120 either absent, shifted or dead. I think now there is a chance for such voters to apply again.”

Additionally, from his booth, 586 cases were referred to the tribunals. Of these, “86 have been deleted so far”, Sahabuddin says. “I am not sure whether these 86 can apply again, and I don’t think those whose cases are still being heard by tribunals can apply either. But I am waiting for the training session.”

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The ECI also said in its September 29 order that the Form 6 for enrolment of voters now will no longer require them to show linkage to the 2002 SIR. Sahabuddin says he has “heard of this change”, but is waiting for clear instructions.

Pinki Jaiswal, a BLO at Kolkata’s Narkeldanga, says of the 191 voters deleted in her booth, 100 were removed as they are dead. “The rest I will re-check. Basically, we have to check the shifted and absentee voters. In my case, I had found that most of them were now in Bihar.”

Jaiswal adds: “The main problem is with the cases referred to tribunals. I have 28 in my booth who appealed, but there is no news regarding their hearings.” The BLO believes “they cannot be included in the exercise”.

Khurshid Anwar, a BLO from Srirampur in Hooghly district, says he has “heard that we will have to visit and re-check the documents”. He mentions that it will take time, and adds: “But the main problem is the tribunal cases. People are stuck there, and they ask me about it over and over.”

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Habibur Rehman, a BLO from Deganga in South 24 Parganas, says: “All I am hearing is that there will be training. Only after that can I tell you anything.”

A BLO from Central Kolkata who did not want to be named expresses his frustration. “After completing the SIR and then helping with the Assembly elections, we have now been enrolled for Census. That itself is a mammoth task, and the process will only be completed next February. Meanwhile, this special ECI drive has started. When will we do these jobs and when do we do our school duties?”

Earlier, an organisation representing BLOs called ‘Votekormi and BLO Aikya Mancha’ wrote to the Bengal CEO seeking “appropriate measures for complete security… for BLOs working in sensitive areas… where a huge number of voters have been deleted during SIR”. Referring to South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah, parts of Hooghly and Kolkata, Malda, Murshidabad and Uttar Dinajpur, the letter said: “In these districts, a huge number of voters were deleted for no reason… They (the BLOs) may be the target of attacks by furious deleted voters.”

The BLOs themselves had no role in the mass deletion, the letter said, blaming it on the ECI “system” flagging logical discrepancies that had “raised the question of credentials of these deleted voters”. Then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to go to court led to their cases coming under adjudication and finally being referred to tribunals, the organisation wrote. “The entire process was faulty and then we drew the attention of the concerned authority, but without result.”

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Asked about the BLOs’ fears, a senior ECI official said, “In this process, they don’t have to go to every applicant’s house. All District Electoral Officers will organise camps where applicants can apply through Form 6. They can also apply online. Then, if an Electoral Registration Officer or District Electoral Officer thinks that in a particular case physical verification is needed, in only those, BLOs would have to go to the applicant’s residence.”

On the tribunal cases, the official said: “No applicant who was deleted after hearing in a tribunal or whose case is under tribunal’s jurisdiction can apply because the Calcutta High Court earlier said that such cases can only go to an appellate court. The ECI has no role in their cases.”