New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has refuted opposition parties’ allegations of favoring the BJP by amending the appointment criteria for Booth Level Agents (BLAs) amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in nine states and three Union Territories (UTs).
BLAs are appointed by recognized political parties and bear the crucial responsibility of maintaining accurate voter lists in accordance with the terms of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
More than 7.64 lakh BLAs have been appointed by political parties in the ongoing SIR in these states and Union Territories. The states and Union Territories where SIR is being conducted include Andaman and Nicobar, Goa, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Lakshadweep.
This also includes the election-bound areas of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. According to a recent amendment by the Election Commission, if a political party faces difficulty in appointing a BLA from among the voters of a particular polling station, it will now be allowed to appoint a voter from another polling station in the same assembly constituency as a BLA. Previously, only a voter from that particular polling station was eligible to be appointed as a BLA.
The Election Commission has informed the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all states and union territories about the amendments to the BLA appointment criteria. In its letter addressed to the CEOs, the ECI stated the amendments to the BLA appointment criteria, writing, “The Commission has decided to amend paragraph 3(iv) of the instructions issued on August 9, 2023, regarding BLAs.”
Generally, one BLA can be appointed for each part of the electoral roll. The BLA must be a registered voter in the relevant part of the electoral roll for which they are appointed. In case of unavailability of BLA from the same part of the electoral roll, a Booth Level Agent can be appointed from any registered voter of the same Assembly constituency, states the newly amended Para 3 (iv) mentioned by the ECI in the letter.
It states that it is expected that the BLA will scrutinize the entries in the draft roll of the part for which he has been appointed as BLA, so as to identify entries of dead or shifted voters. This latest move by the Election Commission has been criticized by the Congress and the All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC). Senior Congress leader Bhakta Charan Das wrote in a post on X, “When you can’t win the game, change the rules or buy the umpire.”
This quote perfectly captures the strategic alliance between the BJP and the Election Commission. The Election Commission has issued a notification changing the rules for appointing BLAs. Previously (2023 guidelines), BLAs had to be registered voters in the relevant part of the electoral roll for which they were appointed. He said, “Now (the amended rules) in case of unavailability of a BLA from the same part of the electoral roll, a BLA can be appointed from any registered voter in the same assembly constituency.”
Das, president of the Odisha unit of the Congress, said, “This change raises serious alarm bells. If BLOs must belong to the same booth or polling station, why is a special exemption given only to BLAs? Because the BJP is unable to find genuine local agents and now wants to bring in outsiders to manipulate the process from within.”
Attacking the BJP, which is in power at the Centre, he alleged that the latest amendment was made to benefit the saffron party. Echoing similar sentiments, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee alleged that the election panel had once again changed the rules of the SIR process overnight to favor the BJP.
Referring to the amendment in the appointment of BLAs, he said, “Until now, the rule was very clear: the BLA must be a voter from the same booth. But since the BJP has miserably failed to find agents at all booths, the Election Commission has conveniently rewritten the rulebook. Now, the BLA can be a voter from any booth in the same assembly constituency.”
He said, “This is not a reform, it is a deliberate manipulation. The entire SIR process has been turned into a tool for the BJP’s political convenience rather than protecting electoral fairness.” Referring to allegations made in the wake of the amendment to the BLA appointment criteria, ECI sources told ETV Bharat that this is not the case.
They said, “Earlier, BLAs were appointed only from booths. Now, if a party faces difficulty in appointing a BLA from a specific booth, it can appoint a BLA from any booth in the same constituency.”
Election Commission sources claimed that the latest move is aimed at further strengthening the electoral process. It is noteworthy that on Wednesday, the Election Commission of India urged all recognized political parties to appoint more booth BLAs, who are being included in the ongoing SIR process. According to the ECI, over 37 crore counting forms have been distributed so far in the ongoing SIR across nine states and three union territories.
