BLOs can’t delete votes without permission from ERO: EC

Vijayawada: Election Commission has made it clear that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) do not have the authority to delete names from electoral rolls during the process of Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls. EC said that any proposal for deletion must be examined by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and processed strictly in accordance with guidelines.Setting the stage ready for the launch of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Election commission of India has deputed its secretaries Santosh Kumar Dubey and Naveen Kumar to AP to provide insights of the SIR to the field level officials. The special officers from EC will conduct training sessions to the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and AEROs in different zones over the next few days. The senior officials from EC held its first round session with the EROs) and AEROs of six districts in Srisailam.The EC officials suggested the EROs and AEROs to ensure that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) knock every door in the respective zones at least thrice to get accurate details of the electors. “Genuine voters need not have any apprehensions over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, as the exercise is aimed at ensuring clean and accurate voter lists and not at deleting eligible electors,” said the Election Commission officials. They stressed that no genuine voter would be removed from the electoral rolls without due verification and an opportunity to present relevant documents.They explained that the SIR exercise is intended to identify duplicate, shifted, deceased and otherwise ineligible entries while safeguarding the voting rights of eligible citizens. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct door-to-door verification and collect voter details as part of the process. The officials said draft electoral rolls would be published after the verification process, enabling voters, political parties and other stakeholders to scrutinise entries and raise objections, if necessary.Electors whose names are proposed for deletion would be informed and given adequate opportunity to submit documents or explanations before a final decision is taken. Similarly, eligible citizens whose names are missing from the rolls can apply for inclusion during the revision period.The Election Commission representatives reiterated that the revision exercise is being conducted in a transparent manner to strengthen the integrity of electoral rolls and eliminate bogus entries. They urged voters to cooperate with election officials during the verification process and ensure that their details are correctly reflected in the rolls.The officials maintained that the objective of the SIR exercise is to improve the accuracy of voter lists, remove ineligible entries and enhance public confidence in the electoral process while ensuring that every eligible citizen continues to enjoy the right to vote.