BLO Duty: In a recent notification, the Chief Electoral Officer of the state has sent a stern letter to the Principal Secretary of the School Education Department of West Bengal. The letter mentions that many teachers who have been assigned BLO (Booth Level Officer) duty are neither accepting the duty nor responding to show-cause notices. The Election Commission’s stance on this matter is extremely strict, and it has warned that appropriate action will be taken against the defaulters.
The Core Issue
The letter sent by the state’s Chief Electoral Officer states that teachers have been assigned BLO duty as per the guidelines of the Election Commission of India. However, it has been observed that many teachers are refusing to perform this duty. They are not even responding to the show-cause notices sent to them. In this context, the Commission has also cited a Calcutta High Court judgment which included observations regarding teachers’ BLO duties.
The Commission has clearly stated that those who have been assigned BLO duty must join it. If anyone disobeys this directive, ‘appropriate action’ or proper legal measures will be taken against them. The sternness of the Commission’s attitude is evident from the language of the letter.
Directive for Stern Action
The final paragraph of the letter states that this matter should be treated as ‘most urgent’. A report on the action taken against those teachers who are not joining the BLO duty or not responding to the show-cause notices must be submitted to the state’s Chief Electoral Officer by October 1, 2025. This indicates that the Commission is not willing to listen to any further delays or excuses and wants a swift resolution.
This directive has elicited a mixed reaction from the state’s teaching community. Many teacher organizations have been opposing the additional workload of tasks like BLO duty alongside their polling duties. According to them, this hampers school education. However, following this stern stance from the Election Commission, it remains to be seen which direction the situation will take in the coming days.
While the State Election Commission’s strict stance on teachers’ BLO duty is an attempt to conduct the electoral process smoothly, it has also sparked a new debate about the extra workload on teachers. All eyes will now be on whether a path of compromise can be found between the state government and the teacher organizations on this issue in the future.
