New Delhi: The Election Commission on Wednesday commenced first-ever training of over one lakh booth-level officers in batches here during which the grass-roots level poll functionaries will be trained on scenario-based situations. The first batch of booth-level officers (BLOs) from Bihar, West Bengal and Assam are here to participate in the two-day programme. Well-trained BLOs will later become assembly-level master trainers to strengthen nationwide network of BLOs.
An average of one BLO per 10 polling stations will be trained in such training programmes over the next few years, the EC said. These BLOs will form a "corps of assembly level master trainers" to strengthen the entire network of BLOs nationwide, who are the first and most important interface between the 100 crore electors and the Commission. The programme will continue in phases focussing first on poll-bound states. Currently, 109 BLOs from Bihar, West Bengal and Assam are participating in the training programme along with 24 electoral registration officers and and 13 district election officers from Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. The training is planned to familiarise the BLOs with their roles and responsibilities as per electoral law and to equip them with requirements of filling relevant forms for an error free updation of electoral rolls.
They will also be familiarised with IT applications designed to support their work. BLOs are state government officials and are appointed by the electoral registration officers after the approval of the district election officers. CEC Gyanesh Kumar, while acknowledging the critical role of EROs and BLOs in error free updation of electoral rolls, stressed that the state governments should nominate SDM level or equivalent officers as EROs, who then should appoint BLOs giving due consideration to their seniority and who are ordinary resident of the polling station under their charge.
The CEC cautioned that any complaint against ERO or BLO will be strictly acted upon. He said all BLOs should be courteous in their interactions with the electors during house-to-house verification for updation of electoral rolls. He said the Commission was, is and will always continue to stand with nearly 100 crore electors.