BLO Election Duties: The grandest festival of democracy is the election process, and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) play an indispensable role in ensuring its smooth execution in accordance with the Election Commission guidelines. Unlike presiding or polling officers, BLOs are generally not assigned direct duties inside the polling booth. Instead, their primary focus revolves around assisting voters and verifying grassroots-level data. From managing external booth operations to delivering services to the doorsteps of specially-abled citizens, they handle a variety of crucial tasks. However, local administration may modify these duties based on situational requirements.
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Crucial Role in Assisting Voters on Election Day
On the day of polling, BLOs predominantly assist the entire process from outside the booth. A dedicated help desk, known as the Voter Assistance Booth (VAB), is allocated for them. Often, voters forget to bring their information slips. In such scenarios, BLOs help the general public by finding their names and numbers from the alphabetical roll and writing out new slips. Currently, for security reasons, carrying mobile phones inside the booth is strictly prohibited. Therefore, if there is a provision for keeping voters’ mobile phones safe, BLOs oversee that arrangement as well. Furthermore, they guide people by helping them stand in the correct queue and answering any general queries.
Pre-Election Groundwork and List Verification
The active engagement of BLOs begins at least five days prior to the election. One of their primary responsibilities is to visit every voter’s house to deliver the Voter Information Slip (VIS). This slip contains the booth name, number, polling date, time, the voter’s part and serial number, and a QR code. It is important to note, however, that this slip does not feature any candidate’s photo and is not considered a valid standalone identity card.
Alongside distributing these slips, they perform another vital task: preparing the ASD list. They verify the current status of individuals whose names appear on the voter list. Information is collected to check if a voter is absent, shifted elsewhere, dead, or has duplicate entries. They even gather updates if someone passes away or gets married after the regular revision process.
Special Provisions for Senior Citizens and the Specially-Abled
The Election Commission offers special provisions for voters who are over 85 years of age, specially-abled (PwD), or affected by COVID-19. BLOs visit the homes of these specific voters to provide them with Form 12D. They inquire whether these individuals wish to cast their vote from home via postal ballot. If they agree, the BLOs assist them in filling out the form. Exactly five days later, they collect the filled forms and submit them to the Returning Officer or BDO, executing this responsibility with utmost dedication.
