Election Commission BLO: Suspension for Not Accepting Appointment Letter! Commission’s Stern Warning to BLOs, Suvendu Cites Bihar Jail Threat

Election Commission BLO: The Election Commission has adopted an extremely strict stance regarding Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in the state. The commission is unwilling to tolerate any laxity in the preparations for the upcoming elections. It has been clearly stated that strict action will be taken against all BLOs who are refusing to accept their appointment letters. Moreover, the process of suspension will be initiated if they do not join their duties within the specified deadline.

Election Commission’s Strict Directive

According to sources from the commission, reports of reluctance to join election duty have primarily come from three districts—Kolkata North, Murshidabad, and Cooch Behar. Across these three districts, there are approximately 143 BLOs who have not accepted their appointment letters. It has been reported that a majority of them are teachers.

In light of this situation, the Election Commission has sent a clear directive to the District Magistrates (District Election Officers) of the concerned districts. The directive states:

• If these 143 BLOs do not accept their appointment letters by 12 PM tomorrow, the process to suspend them must be initiated.
• Regardless of their primary profession, these BLOs will be suspended from their original jobs.

Currently, the number of polling booths in the state is slightly over 80,000, which may increase to around 94,000. It is mandatory to have one BLO for each booth. Therefore, the commission believes that the absence of such a large number of personnel could disrupt the electoral process.

Suvendu Adhikari’s Warning

Amidst this tense situation, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has once again issued a warning to the BLOs. He has clearly stated that BLOs must only follow the instructions of the Election Commission and not listen to any political party. He commented, “Do not listen to any ‘dada’, ‘didi’ or party.“

Citing an incident from Bihar, he cautioned the BLOs. Mr. Adhikari said, “Work keeping in mind that there are 52 BLOs in a Bihar jail.” He warned that if the commission’s orders are disobeyed, “you will have to spend time in jail,” and that his party would provide the necessary information and documents for it.

He further alleged that in Haldia, a Trinamool Panchayat member, Dibyendu Sardar, has been appointed as a BLO. He also threatened to uncover more such instances. His clear message was that the police would be forced to take action, and if the police fail to do so, his party, as a national political entity, will ensure measures are taken that lead the accused to jail.