5 months ago
34
ARTICLE AD BOX
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission connected Monday took cognisance aft an audio signaling of a Booth Level Officer surfaced connected societal media, successful which helium expressed work-related accent amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rotation successful Kerala.Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan Kelkar and District Collector Chethan Kumar Meena held a video league with the BLO, Antony Varghese, to code his grievances."An audio connection has been circulated connected societal media recently, successful which a Booth Level Officer (BLO) expressed work-related accent arising from duties connected to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls," a property merchandise from the territory collector (election) read."Taking contiguous cognisance of the matter, Chief Electoral Officer Shri Rathan Kelkar and District Collector Shri Chethan Kumar Meena jointly held a video league with Shri Antony Varghese, BLO of Booth No. 110 nether Poonjar LAC, to code his grievances. During the interaction, Shri Antony Varghese conveyed his willingness to proceed his duties arsenic BLO. Nevertheless, helium was offered the enactment to discontinue his SIR responsibilities if helium truthful desired.
The Chief Electoral Officer assured that each indispensable enactment would beryllium extended to him to guarantee the creaseless discharge of his duties," it added.This comes arsenic respective BLOs person either committed termination oregon died unnaturally amid the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls successful 12 states crossed India, including Kerala, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.Meanwhile, booth-level officers scuffled with constabulary unit connected Monday portion trying to participate the CEO's bureau successful Kolkata during a objection to protestation against alleged excessive enactment pressure.According to a elder official, members of the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee took retired a procession from College Square successful northbound Kolkata, carrying locks and fetters to symbolically adjacent the main entranceway of the gathering successful which the bureau of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) is housed.The protesting BLOs raised slogans against the Election Commission, alleging that they were forced to clasp the procession arsenic the "poll sheet did not respond to their complaints of aggravated and inhuman enactment unit during the SIR exercise.""BLOs person been directed to implicit tasks wrong a abbreviated period, though the aforesaid enactment usually takes much than 2 years," a functionary claimed.The committee besides alleged that BLOs were falling sick and that 2 of them died by termination owed to stress.Meanwhile, the TMC besides attacked the Election Commission for conducting the workout successful a "rushed, haphazard and opaque manner."TMC MP Saket Gokhale urged the canvass assemblage to support the booth-level officers, safeguard the rights of voters, and beryllium transparent astir the Special Intensive Revision process."Is cruelty indispensable for doing SIR? Across Bengal and the remainder of India, BLOs tasked with SIR are dying of exhaustion oregon by suicide. A process that should beryllium fixed a fewer months is being hastily done successful 30 days," Gokhale said."We've been clear: we person nary occupation with the intent of SIR, which is to cleanable up the elector list. We are, however, powerfully opposed to the rushed, haphazard and opaque mode successful which it is being done successful Bengal," helium said."SIR work should not beryllium a decease condemnation for BLOs," helium said, adding, "SIR should not go a pretext for deleting morganatic voters."Gokhale pointed retired that the SIR was not done successful Delhi, Haryana and Maharashtra, the 3 states that went to polls aft the 2024 Lok Sabha elections."Why past is the ECI rushing to bash it wrong 30 days successful Bengal?" helium asked.He said the BLOs should beryllium allowed to enactment without stress, and radical should beryllium fixed capable clip to recognize the process and find their documents."If the ECI is genuinely independent, it should support BLOs, safeguard the rights of voters, and beryllium transparent astir the SIR process," helium said."But the actions of the ECI successful Bengal amusement that ‘cleaning the elector list’ is conscionable a facade. In reality, the mode SIR is being done shows that the wide docket is to make panic and rig the strategy to payment the BJP," helium added.
