Election Commission Guidelines: To ensure a smoother polling process, the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal has rolled out new instructions. From now on, even after sealing EVMs and handing over Form 17C to agents, polling parties and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will not be allowed to leave the booth immediately.
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New Operational Guidelines
Several strict rules have been introduced regarding exiting the polling station. Once voting ends, polling personnel are required to stay inside the premises until the Sector Officer and the camera technician arrive to complete their duties.
The standard procedure is as follows:
- Camera technicians are barred from removing indoor or outdoor cameras unless the Sector Officer is present.
- The technician is strictly prohibited from touching the micro SD card; they must hand over the entire camera unit to the Sector Officer.
- The Sector Officer is the only one authorized to remove the memory card before any further action is taken.
- Presiding Officers and all polling staff are strictly forbidden from leaving the booth until this entire process is wrapped up.
Impact on Polling Personnel
This tightened protocol has sparked concern among election staff. After battling two days of grueling work and sleepless nights, this rule is being viewed as a significant source of extra hardship.
Typically, a single Sector Officer is in charge of around 10 booths. Since they have to visit each booth sequentially after voting ends, a lot of time is wasted reaching the final booths. This leaves the polling teams stuck in the booths for hours on end. Furthermore, because polling teams often depend on shared transport, delays at one booth create a ripple effect, causing immense exhaustion for everyone waiting to head home.
Alternative Perspectives
Observers suggest that a more flexible approach could have eased the burden. If the responsibility for securing cameras had been delegated to the Central Forces stationed at every booth, polling staff could have left their posts immediately after finishing their primary duties. The Sector Officer could have collected the equipment later in the presence of the security forces. As it stands, the current mandate is placing significant physical and mental strain on the staff on election duty.
