Kolkata: BLOs are in a new flap. About a week elapsed since they logged off from the BLO App, they are still facing questions from electors anxious about whether their names will remain on electoral roll.Scrutiny of documents is over, but BLOs stay on tenterhooks as they cannot check their electors’ present status in the roll, with the deactivation of the BLO App. Several BLOs across the city stated that they could not upload any document as the names of those electors have “already disappeared from the ERO’s system”.Post the conclusion of SIR hearing in the state, document trouble plagued electors as several forms, along with documents, were sent back after scrutiny by EC officials, asking the BLOs to collect and upload fresh documents specified by the EC.“The forms of 145 electors were sent back to me and 18 of them are untraceable in the ERO’s system. So, no uploads could be made. As the BLO App is non-functional now, I cannot check whether they exist in the electoral roll. Now we will have to wait till the release of the final list, and we fear that many genuine voters might get their names struck off due to technical glitches. These electors, being anxious, ask me daily about their status in the electoral roll, but I have no answer to them,” said a BLO in Howrah.About 80,681 BLOs are working in the state, and many of them got some electors’ enumeration forms sent back, and they were asked to upload the EC-specified documents from the ERO’s system. The BLOs pointed out that the electors whose enumeration forms were flagged with objections are genuine voters and, under certain circumstances, they do not have the EC-specified documents like a passport, birth certificate, or Madhyamik admit card.“Since these voters don’t have the specific documents mentioned by the EC, I collected their other available documents like a ration card, PAN card, and land deed, which I uploaded following my AERO’s nod. During the hearing, these electors submitted those documents and they were told nothing,” said a BLO in Ballygunge.“As for sent-back cases, I had to visit the Survey Building with electors’ documents for uploading. There are some voters whose names were not shown in the ERO’s system and the uploading could not happen. But I remember uploading documents of these voters during hearing,” said a BLO from Tollygunge. Another BLO in Haltu said he was sent back the enumeration forms of about 30 electors as the uploaded documents were rejected. “When I uploaded the documents, I knew that those electors did not have other documents specified by EC. Many are migrant labourers and left for workplaces in other states after the hearing. As per the ERO’s instruction, I visited houses of some electors but they are unable to produce EC-specified documents. Thus, several voters who exercised their franchise in my area for long are feared to lose voting rights this time,” said the BLO.
