Kolkata, 3 October (H.S.): The Election Commission is set to remove nearly 2,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across West Bengal for violating appointment guidelines, sources in the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office said on Thursday. The decision is likely to be implemented before the launch of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

District Magistrates, who also serve as District Election Officers, have been asked to submit detailed reports on the irregularities. Once the reports are received, the Commission will initiate corrective measures in line with its guidelines, officials said.

As per EC norms, BLO appointments follow a uniform pattern nationwide. Priority is given to permanent government employees of Group-C and above, as well as teachers in state-run schools. Only when such staff are unavailable, contractual workers may be considered, and every such appointment must be justified at the district level and approved by the CEO’s office.

However, officials revealed that in nearly 2,000 booths, contractual staff were appointed as BLOs despite the availability of government employees and school teachers. Worse, these appointments were made without the required approval from the CEO’s office.

Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal recently wrote to the state education department, highlighting that several teachers have been avoiding BLO duty despite clear instructions and court orders. The CEO’s office has warned that disciplinary action will be taken against teachers who fail to comply within the stipulated timeframe.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh