‘Ground-level poll officers are under-prepared’

Conclusion of a study in the city by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy

January 03, 2017 10:11 pm | Updated 10:11 pm IST

BLOs are tasked with door-to-door survey and constant update of electoral rolls.

BLOs are tasked with door-to-door survey and constant update of electoral rolls.

Bengaluru: The Assembly polls are a year-and-a-half away, and citizens have to enrol themselves in the electoral rolls or provide details of change of address, corrections, and so on to Booth Level Officers (BLOs). However, a study of BLOs in the city, by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, has revealed a dismal picture.

Tasked with door-to-door survey and constant update of electoral rolls, an interview of 106 BLOs revealed that while seven per cent have never done any door-to-door surveys, a majority have done less than four days of surveys in the last one year.

However, the study reveals that the officers aren’t entirely to blame. While 18 per cent do not even have a valid identity card, over 25 per cent do not even have an appointment order from the Election Commission of India, posing serious challenges as house owners are suspicious and don’t cooperate with them.

While the Commission claims to have trained all BLOs for the crucial National Electoral Roll Purification 2016, 77 per cent of the officers who participated in the study said they were yet to receive any such training.

The survey uncovered many violations of ECI guidelines. The largest chunk of the 2,751 BLOs who participated in the study comprised teachers. This, despite the fact that ECI guidelines stipulating avoiding teachers in the appointment of BLOs.

The guidelines also state that a single booth level officer be assigned to only one Polling Part (a block of voters). However, the study found that over 24 per cent of BLOs were assigned to over four polling parts.

The study

Total polling parts: 7392

Sample size: 3077 polling parts

BLOs

Female: 58 per cent

Male: 42 per cent

Occupation of BLOs

Teachers: 37.7 per cent

Clerks: 17.9 per cent

Tax inspectors: 6.6 per cent

Issues faced by BLOs

Lack ID cards: 18 per cent

Lack appointment orders: 25 per cent

Have not undergone training for National Electoral Roll Purification 2016: 77 per cent

Stretching the limit

ECI guidelines stipulate each BLO be assigned to only one polling part of a booth

Over 24 per cent of BLOs are in charge of over 4 polling parts

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