Bengaluru, June 29 (IANS). The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee on Monday urged the Chief Electoral Officer to immediately correct the alleged discrepancies in the information of Booth Level Officers and BLO Supervisors published on the official website of the CEO and defer the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list until the correct and verified information is available.
The Election Commission has completed preparations to start the ‘Special Intensive Revision’ (SIR) process in the state. Under this, door-to-door verification will be done from June 29 to July 29.
In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer, MLC Ramesh Babu alleged that different information about BLOs and BLO supervisors has been given on the official website, which is creating confusion among voters and political stakeholders. He has also demanded postponement of the SIR till the correct information is available.
According to the memorandum, two different types of information are currently available on the CEO’s website. One is titled “BLO and BLO Supervisor List, containing names and mobile numbers of Booth Level Officers and BLO Supervisors” and the other is titled “Information about contact details of Voter Facilitation Centres, BLO Facilitation Centers and officials”, which also contains names and contact details of BLOs and BLO Supervisors.
The Congress party alleged that the verification of both the lists revealed irregularities, with different names and mobile numbers shown for the same BLO and supervisor in many polling areas. He gave the example of Assembly Constituencies 128 and 153, where different information was published.
The party says that publication of contradictory official data has created serious confusion among voters, political parties, Booth Level Agents (BLAs), election observers and other stakeholders.
The memorandum states that a voter who approaches the booth level officer on the basis of one list may find that another officer is shown in the second list. Such discrepancies defeat the very purpose of publishing official contact details and adversely affect the smooth implementation of the ‘Special Intensive Revision’.
Congress argued that the change in the electoral roll is a legal process, which requires accuracy, transparency and certainty about the identity of the returning officers. He says that different official information reduces public confidence in the electoral process and voters are not able to take proper advantage of getting their names added, corrected or removed from the electoral roll.
Congress demanded six specific steps from the Chief Electoral Officer. Immediate verification and correction of discrepancies between the two lists first published, publishing a single certified and identical list of BLOs and BLO Supervisors with correct names, designation, polling station information and mobile numbers, removal of any incorrect or outdated list from the official website. Till all the irregularities are rectified, public clarification should be issued identifying the correct list, district-wise verification of contact details of all BLOs and BLO supervisors should be done before proceeding with the SIR. If the deficiencies cannot be corrected immediately, the SIR may be deferred until verified information is published and available to all concerned.
The Congress party says that the electoral process should not only be fair but should also appear fair. The party argues that different information about election officials can have a negative impact on transparency and public trust.
The party has requested the Chief Electoral Officer to consider this matter as urgent and take immediate corrective action and inform about the action taken as soon as possible.
–IANS
DKM/ABM