DC Chümoukedima emphasises importance of BLOs

DIMAPUR — The district administration of Chümoukedima organised a special summary revision for booth-level officers (BLOs) of Chümoukedima, Niuland, and Medziphema districts on Monday at the DPDB hall, DC office, Chümoukedima.

According to a press release, during the meeting, DC Chümoukedima, Polan John, stated that over the years, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has introduced many new initiatives, programmes, and activities to manage the electoral process. One of the most successful initiatives is the concept of BLOs, introduced in 2006.

Since then, BLOs have become an integral part of election management, he noted, adding that the role of the BLO is crucial in setting up election management.

He said that everyone must be experienced in their assignments and well aware of their responsibilities. However, the ECI provides new directives, so they must stay updated with the latest instructions and parameters and be tech-savvy to handle applications, as everything is now done online or through portals.

He highlighted the importance of a clean electoral process and emphasised that the foundation of a clean election is an accurate and up-to-date electoral roll. This roll must reflect the real details of all electors.

The summary revision provides an excellent opportunity to cleanse the electoral system by correcting facts, deleting names of those who have moved or passed away, and including eligible voters, he said.

According to him, while the Election Commission or CEO may produce extensive booklets with instructions, it ultimately comes down to the grassroots level, where the BLOs implement these instructions. So, if the BLO does not execute their instructions effectively on the ground, everything will fail.

He asserted that everything is online, and all performance data will be displayed on a dashboard, allowing easy monitoring based on the data available. This will enable an assessment of the areas where BLOs are performing well and where they are not.

He requested that each individual be responsible and carry out their assignments diligently. One cannot be casual about summary revision; they must ensure that the electoral process is followed and executed smoothly.

Stressing the need to address the registration of rolls and gender disparity, he emphasised that these issues must be thoroughly checked and covered. Since the public primarily interacts with the BLO, he urged them to be positive and responsive in assisting and guiding the public to ensure everything is done properly.

He also emphasised the importance of the summary revision of house-to-house surveys, requesting all BLOs to mandatorily visit each household and determine the actual status of those under their jurisdiction. He reminded the BLOs that personal preferences should not interfere with their official duties or lead to misuse of their privileges; instead, they should remain neutral, impartial, and transparent.

He encouraged everyone to work together to ensure an error-free and healthy electoral roll, which will contribute to improvements in the election management process.

Later, at the meeting, ADC Chümoukedima and ADC Medziphema also highlighted the activities and role of the BLOs.