The Election Commission (EC) has served show-cause notices to eight Booth Level Officers (BLOs) after allegations of irregularities against them surfaced on Saturday, during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list across West Bengal.
According to reports, several BLOs have failed to follow the Commission’s rules by distributing enumeration forms in open spaces, clubs, or shops instead of delivering them door-to-door.
According to Commission’s guidelines, BLOs are mandated to personally visit each household within their assigned area to hand over the forms. However, in multiple districts, this instruction has allegedly been ignored.
“To ensure stricter monitoring, a special control room has been set up at the Chief Election Officer’s (CEO) office in Kolkata. The Commission has also introduced a public grievance helpline—033-22310850—where citizens can directly report cases of misconduct or corruption by BLOs,” said an EC official.
Sources indicate that strict disciplinary actions may follow against those found guilty. “Punishments could include demotion, withholding of annual increments, or even dismissal from service. In cases where BLOs are found to have demanded money or deliberately destroyed forms, criminal charges may be filed under the legal provisions,” said the official.
Currently, around 80,681 BLOs are deployed across the state, supported by 14,000 additional workers. The Commission has printed and begun distributing over 7.66 crore enumeration forms across 294 assembly constituencies.
To make the process more convenient, the ECI has also introduced an online form fill-up facility for citizens unable to stay at home during the revision period. Voters can now fill and submit their forms online by linking their EPIC number to their mobile number, allowing submission “with just one click” from anywhere.
Election officials have reiterated that any deviation from the prescribed process will not be tolerated as the Commission aims to ensure a fair, transparent and inclusive revision of the voter list ahead of upcoming elections.
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