BLOs Raise Serious Complaints Over Pressure From Election Commission’s Intensive Voter List Revision

Thiruvananthapuram: Serious complaints have emerged that officials are under intense pressure due to the Election Commission’s hurried and unplanned intensive revision of the voter's list. Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who are appointed by the Election Commission, are responsible for distributing enumeration forms. These officers must visit 1,000–1,200 households to deliver the forms, it is alleged that the Commission is imposing excessive pressure to complete the task.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has instructed that form distribution must be completed by the 25th fo november. Employees strongly protest the practice of setting arbitrary targets and forcing them to meet them. BLOs ask what purpose is served by distributing forms without creating a plan to address the concerns of voters regarding the entire process.

It is said that most voters are confused about the entire process as they are confused about issues like why is this form required, whart is the procedure or who should provide the information. Voters are not yet informed about how verify whether their names are on the list or how can peoplr working abroad or in other states submit the form.

Answering these questions while visiting households consumes considerable time. BLOs say that assisting voters in filling forms also becomes extremely difficult.

BLOs argue that only if the first few months of SIR (Special Intensive Revision) are used for awareness-building can such issues be resolved. NGO unions had earlier demanded that such works that are not humaly possible be withdrawn and SIR postponed.

The state government had filed a petition in the High Court seeking postponement, citing that ongoing local body election procedures in the state require deploying the same officials for both the election and the revision process. This dual burden, they argued, disrupts government functioning and leads to administrative paralysis.

Attempt to Disrupt Official Timeline

Complaints have also surfaced that some officials are trying to override the timeline set by the Election Commission. BLOs were given strict instructions to finish form distribution by the 15th of november, although the official deadline is December 4. Some officers assigned to election duties issued this instruction, allegedly under pressure from district collectors.

An absurd directive was reportedly issued: BLOs who cannot finish distribution by the 15th should falsely record online that the forms have been delivered. Officials suggested marking forms as “distributed” in the online application first and delivering them later — a legally unacceptable practice that undermines citizens’ voting rights.

As per the official timeline presented in the all-party meeting by the Chief Electoral Officer, Form distribution and collection may continue until December 4. Draft voter list will be published on December 9. Objections and suggestions may be submitted from December 9 to January 8. Political parties have expressed concern that some officials are trying to force early completion in violation of these timelines.

Over 2 Crore Forms Distributed: CEO

As of Friday 6 p.m., on the 11th day of distribution, enumeration forms have been given to over 2 crore voters (79.06%), according to CEO Dr. Rathan U. Kelkar. More than 80% distribution has been completed in seven districts. He added that this is not the final figure since not all BLOs have uploaded data, so the actual number is higher.

Fourth All-Party Meeting Today

Amid the continuing confusion over the SIR, the Chief Electoral Officer has convened a fourth meeting with political parties. In the previous meeting, parties raised several complaints, especially about form distribution. CPI(M), CPI and Congress demanded postponement due to the local body elections, but the CEO stated that the process had already begun and could not be deferred.

The upcoming meeting is expected to update party representatives on progress. It will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Mascot Hotel, Thiruvananthapuram.

Suspend SIR During Local Body Elections: KGOA

The Kerala Gazetted Officers' Association (KGOA) has demanded that SIR be suspended while local body election procedures are ongoing. Most gazetted officers serve as returning officers or registration officers in local bodies. Their office staff and employees from other departments must work together for error-free elections. Assigning the same employees to SIR duties jeopardizes the election process.

Additionally, voters’ residence certificates required for SIR must be issued by municipal/panchayat secretaries, who are already burdened with routine administrative duties. Such excessive workload creates severe pressure on staff, the KGOA noted, arguing that imposing this level of work is unacceptable.