Agartala May 1: The Election Commission of India has introduced new initiatives aimed at improving the accuracy of electoral rolls, making the voting process more convenient for citizens.
These measures are in line with the initiatives as envisaged by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India Gyanesh Kumar during the Conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), in the presence of Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi in March this year.
The Commission will now obtain death registration data electronically from the Registrar General of India in line with Rule 9 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 and Section 3(5)(b) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (as amended in 2023).
This will ensure that the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) receive timely information about registered deaths.
This will also enable Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to re-verify the information through field visits, without waiting for a formal request under Form 7.
To make Voter Information Slips (VIS) more voter friendly, the Commission has also decided to modify its design.
The serial number and part number of the voter will now be displayed more prominently, with increased font size, making it easier for voters to identify their polling station and for polling officials to locate their names in the electoral roll efficiently.
The Commission has also directed that all BLOs, who are appointed by the EROs under Section 13B(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, be issued standard photo identity cards to ensure that citizens can recognise and interact confidently with BLOs during voter verification and registration drives.
As the first interface between the voters and the ECI in performing election related duties, it is important that BLOs are easily identifiable to the public while conducting house-to-house visits. This information was divulged by the ECI.
2-day training for electoral officers
Meantime, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India Gyanesh Kumar inaugurated a two-day capacity-building training programme for Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from Bihar, and EROs and BLO Supervisors from Haryana, NCT of Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi on Thursday.
The training programme is part of the Election Commission of India’s ongoing preparations for the upcoming General Elections to the Legislative Assemblies.
A total of 369 grassroots election officials are taking part in this mixed-batch training programme.
In his inaugural address CEC Gyanesh Kumar said that the BLOS and EROs along with the Booth Level Agents (BLAs) are responsible for ensuring correct and updated electoral rolls and they are to function strictly as per the Representation of People Act 1950, Registration of Electors Rules 1960 and instructions issued by the ECI from time to time.
Earlier this month, around 280 BLAs from Bihar of 10 recognised political parties were also trained at IIDEM.
The training is designed to enhance participants’ practical understanding especially in the areas of voter registration, form handling, and field-level implementation of electoral procedures.
The officials will also be provided technical demonstrations and training of EVMs and VVPATS.
The participants were also familiarised with the provisions of first and second appeals against the final electoral rolls as published with the DM/District Collector/Executive Magistrate under section 24(a) of RP Act 1950 and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the State/UT under section 24(b) respectively.
It may be recalled that no appeals were filed from Bihar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi after the completion of the Special Summary Revision (SSR) exercise as of 6th-10th of January 2025.
The curriculum includes interactive sessions, role plays simulating house-to-house surveys, case studies, and hands-on exercises for filling Forms 6, 6A, 7, and 8.
Additionally, participants will receive practical training on the Voter Helpline App (VHA) and the BLO App.
Sessions are being conducted by experienced National Level Master Trainers (NLMTs) and expert Resource Persons from the IT and EVM Divisions of the Commission.
The sessions are interactive and will address common field-level errors and how to avoid them. This information was divulged by the ECI.
