THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, September 23: Recognised political parties are indifferent to appointing booth-level agents. Its cadres are not coming up forward. A good many cadres of different recognised political parties told the ‘job is thankless, confining the cadre to just one booth, which has a maximum of 1200 voters.” Cadres find becoming booth-level agents as quite a demeaning affair, said many of them.
The Jharkhand state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar has all along been asking the District Election Officers and their teams to ensure the recognised political parties without any more apathy towards booth level agents, appoint their cadres at one booth level agent per single booth, said sources.
Cadres Unwilling to Take Up the Role
Political parties in Palamu are showing a lackadaisical attitude towards the appointment of the BLA (Booth Level Agent).
Recognised political parties are to appoint their BLAs as instructed by the Election Commission of India.
It’s one BLA at one booth of each of the recognised political parties for the number of booths.
However, it’s been more than five months now, when the recognised political parties were informed about appointing their BLAs by the District Election Officer cum Deputy Commissioner (DC), but the recognised political parties are yet to appoint their BLAs.
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Officials Express Concern Over Non-Compliance
Electoral Registration Officer of Bishrampur assembly constituency, Kundan Kumar, who is the Additional Collector here in Palamu, said, “We have 367 polling stations in the Bishrampur assembly constituency. No political party has till date appointed any BLA for any of the 367 polling stations despite our repeated reminders to them.”
Another electoral registration officer representing Daltonganj assembly constituency, Sulochana Meena, who is the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) told this correspondent, “We have given Form A and B to the district chiefs of all the recognised political parties, but till date none of them has submitted either of the two forms.”
There are 400-plus polling stations in the Daltonganj assembly constituency.
BJP Acknowledges Internal Resistance
Palamu district BJP president Amit Tiwary on being contacted, admitted, “We are yet to appoint our BLA. There are 1796 polling stations in Palamu district having 5 assembly constituencies.”
“There is a problem with this. BJP has its booth committees. Cadres just want to be there only. Many are unwilling to be a BLA. We are trying to rope in cadres,” added the BJP leader.
Sources said there is a wide and popular perception that BJP manages its booths too well, but here it’s groping for cadres to act as BLA.
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Implications for Electoral Roll Revision
Political sources said that if the BJP is grappling with the crunch of the BLAs, status of other political parties can be guessed.
The Election Commission of India is very clear about a political party not appointing BLA.
ECI maintains ‘In case no BLA is appointed by a political party for any part of the electoral roll, then the copy of the electoral roll for that part of the electoral roll will not be handed over to any other person by the designated officer like Booth Level Officer (BLO).
This digital portal has this instruction of the ECI with it.
BLA plays a major role in either routine electoral roll revision or the much-debated SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of the electoral roll.
If and when Special Intensive Revision takes off in Jharkhand, the BLAs will be a much sought-after thing.
