The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday issued show-cause notices to eight Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in West Bengal for allegedly distributing voter enumeration forms from tea stalls and local clubs instead of going door-to-door during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Sources in the ECI told NDTV that the BLOs of districts such as Cooch Behar and North 24 Parganas are on the show cause list. The poll body has issued a new 24x7 helpline number to lodge complaints against the officers.
The ECI officials said that measures were being taken to ensure transparency and have better oversight of the voter list revision process across the state.
The poll body's action came after it received multiple complaints filed against BLOs by various political parties for distributing the enumeration forms at public places including tea stalls, street corners, and schools.
READ: SIR Forms Distributed On Bengal Streets, Complaint Filed With Poll Body
There had been reports of people rushing to street corners to collect their forms from the BLOs. Despite being trained for this ground activity, some officers distributed the forms in violation of the ECI's guidelines.
Earlier, the ECI issued an advance warning to senior poll officers to abide strictly by the poll body's guidelines.
The BLOs were reminded of their duties and electoral rules, and it was clearly stated that booth-level officers should distribute enumeration forms only by visiting voters' homes. This task must not be carried out anywhere else.
The District Magistrates (DMs) were instructed to remain extra vigilant about this matter. The ECI hinted that strict action will be taken if any negligence is observed.
