More than 200 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) stationed in Gandhinagar's Amraiwadi assembly constituency staged a significant protest on Thursday, voicing their grievances against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The demonstration took place at K K Shastri College in the city's Khokhra area, highlighting a crisis in the foundational process of democracy.
Core Grievances Behind the Protest
The protesting BLOs, who are primarily teachers from government-run and municipal schools, outlined a series of serious issues they face in their duties. They cited odd working hours and extreme stress as major factors. Furthermore, they reported facing unruly behaviour from the public, with many voters showing resistance and a lack of interest in returning the crucial Enumeration Forms (EFs).
Office-bearers from the AMC Shikshak Mandal, the teachers' organisation, provided alarming details. They stated that teachers assigned BLO duties were being forced to work until late at night to complete the mapping of EFs. The situation was exacerbated by threats of administrative action if they refused any assigned duty, creating a climate of fear and coercion.
The Biggest Challenge: Digitisation Hurdles
Among all the issues, the BLOs identified the digitisation of enumeration forms as their most significant challenge. The process was severely hampered because a large number of people provided incomplete or inaccurate details on their forms. This made it incredibly difficult for the officers to correctly map voter details with the existing database, a critical step for maintaining an accurate electoral roll.
The protest underscores the immense pressure on grassroots-level election workers, who are essential for ensuring free and fair elections. The incident raises serious questions about the working conditions of BLOs and the practical difficulties involved in large-scale electoral exercises.
