BLO Recruitment: Election Commission’s Initiative to Recruit Over 8000 Booth Level Officers in the State

West Bengal BLO Recruitment: The Election Commission has become active in filling up more than 8,000 vacant posts of Booth Level Officers (BLO) across West Bengal. This step is a significant effort to make the state’s electoral process more transparent and error-free. Let’s learn in detail about this recruitment process and its importance.

Why is this recruitment so important?

Booth Level Officers, or BLOs, are the most crucial representatives of the Election Commission at the grassroots level. Their primary job is to revise the voter list and enroll new voters. They perform vital duties such as verifying information by visiting voters’ homes, removing the names of deceased or relocated voters from the list, and adding the names of new voters. Therefore, if these posts remain vacant, important tasks like voter list revision can be hampered. Especially with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process about to begin, the role of BLOs is indispensable for its smooth completion.

Vacancy Statistics

According to sources from the State Election Commission, out of a total of 80,681 booths in West Bengal, 8,428 Booth Level Officer posts are vacant. The number of vacancies varies across different districts. For example:

• North Dinajpur: Has the highest number of vacancies with 975 posts.
• Hooghly: 867 posts are vacant.
• East Burdwan: 813 posts are vacant.
• Howrah: 726 posts are vacant.
• North 24 Parganas: 669 posts are vacant.
• Kolkata: 624 BLO posts are vacant in Kolkata.
• South 24 Parganas: Despite having the highest number of booths in the state (8,859), there are 399 vacant posts here.

However, some districts have a relatively low number of vacancies, such as South Dinajpur with only four, Malda with six, Jalpaiguri with eight, and Jhargram with sixteen vacant posts.

Recruitment Process and Eligibility

The office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state has informed that all necessary measures are being taken to fill these vacancies quickly. Generally, Group-C level employees are appointed as BLOs. If a Group-C employee is available in a particular booth area, they are given preference.

Often, new BLOs are being appointed to replace older ones. Also, some are being removed from their posts due to complaints against them. In some cases, individuals are not willing to take on this responsibility. However, the Commission has assured that this vacancy filling process will not cause any inconvenience to the voters and all election-related work will proceed smoothly.

This recruitment process will further strengthen the state’s electoral infrastructure and help deliver proper services to the voters. This is not just a job, but a crucial responsibility in strengthening the foundation of democracy.