BOOTH LEVEL OFFICERS (BLO)
- A Booth Level Officer (BLO) is typically a government or semi-government employee who is familiar with the voters in a particular area and generally resides or casts their vote in the same locality.
- Their primary responsibility is to assist in updating the electoral roll by using their on-ground knowledge.
- As per Section 13B(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, BLOs are selected from staff working in government schools, government offices, and various local bodies.
A BLO acts as the grassroots representative of the Election Commission of India (ECI). Their key duties include:
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Ensuring the electoral roll is accurate and free of errors
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Collecting, verifying, and revising voter information
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Supplying necessary forms for inclusion, deletion, or correction of voter details
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Assisting eligible residents in registering as voters and obtaining voter ID cards
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Conducting field verification and sending reports to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO)
They also coordinate with residents and political party representatives to identify voters who have died, relocated, or have duplicate entries so that they can be removed. This makes their work demanding and labor-intensive.
4. Why are BLOs under stress?
- A Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is currently being conducted in nine states and three Union Territories.
- During this process, several deaths of BLOs have been reported in the regions undergoing SIR, raising concerns about heavy workload and pressure.
- As per the Election Commission’s announcement on October 27, the SIR commenced on November 4.
- Citizens in these 12 states/UTs were required to submit their enumeration forms by December 4, ahead of the publication of draft rolls on December 9.
- According to Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has the authority to order a special revision of the electoral roll for any constituency or a part of it, whenever it considers necessary and in a manner it deems appropriate.
- The Registration of Electors’ Rules, 1960 further provide that electoral roll revisions may be conducted in three ways — intensive, summary, or a mix of both — depending on the ECI’s directions.
- An intensive revision involves preparing the electoral roll anew, whereas a summary revision focuses on updating or modifying the existing roll
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Once a person casts their vote, an indelible ink mark is applied to their finger to ensure they cannot vote again. This practice is provided for under the Representation of the People Act (RoPA), 1951. The ink used contains silver nitrate, a colourless chemical that turns visible when exposed to ultraviolet rays, including sunlight.
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The formulation for this indelible ink was created in 1961 by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), New Delhi, which is part of the CSIR network. In 1962, the technology was licensed to Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited (MPVL), a Karnataka government enterprise.
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From 1962 onwards, Mysore Paints & Varnish Ltd. has been the sole producer of this ink. Formerly known as Mysore Lac & Paint Works Ltd, the company was founded in 1937 by Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, the then Maharaja of Mysore
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For Prelims: Representation of People Act 1951, Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Election Commission of India (ECI)
For Mains: GS II - Indian Polity
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Previous Year Questions
1. Consider the following statements: (UPSC 2017)
1. The Election Commission of India is a five-member body.
2. Union Ministry of Home Affairs decides the election schedule for the conduct of both general elections and bye-elections.
3. Election Commission resolves the disputes relating to splits/mergers of recognized political parties.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 3 only
Answer: D
2. Consider the following statements : (UPSC 2021)
1. In India, there is no law restricting the candidates from contesting in one Lok Sabha election from three constituencies.
2. In the 1991 Lok Sabha Election, Shri Devi Lal contested from three Lok Sabha constituencies.
3. As per the- existing rules, if a candidate contests in one Lok Sabha election from many constituencies, his/her party should bear the cost of bye-elections to the constituencies vacated by him/her in the event of him/her winning in all the constituencies.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. 1 and 3
D. 2 and 3
Answer: B
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