BLOs in Bengal protest during EC training, demand official duty status and security cover

Kolkata | The Election Commission on Saturday began a training programme for over 80,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in West Bengal for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, even as a section of participants raised demands for enhanced security arrangements and transparency in carrying out their duties.

The EC would train Booth Level Agents (BLAs), representatives of political parties, on Sunday and Monday.

The training programme would be completed by November 3, with the start of the house-to-house enumeration the next day.

"In all, 80,861 BLOs were trained for the SIR across the state today. They were trained on how to review enumeration forms, coordinate with voters, and upload info on the BLO app. The training was focused on acquainting BLOs with the technicalities and log-in systems of the app and handling the enumeration forms," an official said.

Each BLO was being provided with a kit, including identity cards and a cap, the official added.

The EC has issued a 16-point guideline for BLOs as part of the SIR exercise, and introduced a new mobile app to streamline field operations.

From November 4 to December 4, BLOs will visit households to carry out voter verification and form-filling work.

However, a section of BLOs objected to the administrative and security arrangements during the sessions, demanding formal recognition of their duty status, proper documentation, and additional security measures.

Teachers deputed as BLOs protested the decision of school authorities to mark them as absent in attendance registers during the training period.

They insist that their participation in the BLO assignment be officially recorded as "on duty."

In addition, a large section of BLOs has demanded central security cover for both training and fieldwork, warning that they will abstain from duty unless safety measures are strengthened.

At Nazrul Mancha, participants alleged that the EC failed to issue any valid proof of attendance or training documentation that could be presented at their respective departments.

Similar protests were reported from the sub-divisional office (SDO) in Durgapur, where BLOs jointly demonstrated their grievances.

"The form we were given today does not mention any official reference to the BLO training. We cannot present this at our schools as proof of attendance. Earlier, proper documentation was provided. We demand similar certification for today as well," a teacher said.

Another participant added, "We are willing to work, but the Commission must provide us with proper documentation and security. Without these, we cannot continue."

Some participants claimed that while earlier sessions included proper certification, the forms distributed on Saturday lacked any official mention of the training.

A teacher remarked, "Without an official certificate, we cannot prove in our schools that we were attending BLO training."

Sources at the EC said central security deployment will not be provided during the training period.

The commission further stated the state administration will be responsible for ensuring security, and also rejected the proposal to appoint two BLOs in larger booths.

On Friday, the Commission held training programmes of over 3,000 election registration officers (EROs), assistant EROs, and district election officers (DEOs) across the state.

Meanwhile, District Election Officers have been instructed to organise and complete the trainings of BLAs within November 3.

"If names are submitted later, additional trainings will be organised later," a senior official said.