Bengal BLO row: District officials may face questions over clearing ineligible appointments violating ECI norms

Kolkata, Oct 4 (IANS) The district-level electoral official clearing the selection of West Bengal government employees as booth-level officers (BLOs) despite not fulfilling the selection criteria mandated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) might now have to give explanations over their actions to the commission.

As per the information received by the Office of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), nearly 4,500 contractual state government employees have been selected as BLOs for around 2,000 booths in certain districts in the state, violating the ECI-mandated selection criteria.

As per the ECI guidelines, there should be a pattern for appointment to BLO that is uniform for all Indian states.

First, the permanent state government employees in the category of Group-C or above and teaching staff in state-run schools should be considered for appointments of BLOs.

In case adequate numbers are not available from the Group-C category permanent state government employees and teachers in state-run schools are not available, only then, contractual state government employees could be considered for appointment as BLOs.

However, according to the CEO's office insider, each appointment of contractual staff as a BLO has to be justified from the district level, and concurrence for it should be granted from the CEO's office.

Now as per initial findings, these 4,500 contractual employees for 2,000 booths were selected as BLOs without citing adequate reasons for doing so or getting the approval from the CEO's office.

Hence, the district-level electoral officials, who cleared the selection of these contractual employees as the BLOs, might have to give explanations to the commission on their action on this count, insiders from the CEO's office said.

In case these district-level electoral officials, insiders added, are unable to give satisfactory answers justifying their action, they might face disciplinary actions as per existing rules.

The CEO's office has already directed the District Magistrates concerned, who are also District Election Officers for the respective districts where these 2,000 booths have been identified, to submit detailed reports on the anomalies.

Recently, West Bengal CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal, had sent a letter to the State Education Department complaining about the reluctance among a section of teaching staff in state-run schools to accept BLO duty, despite a clear instruction from a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court.

The CEO's office had also cautioned of disciplinary action against such teachers if they do not join BLO duties after a certain period of time.

--IANS

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