Long hours, slow Internet, few papers, a mountain to climb: Bihar BLO scramble on the ground
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Long hours, slow Internet, few papers, a mountain to climb: Bihar BLO scramble on the ground
Bihar’s 77,895-odd Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are the footsoldiers in the Election Commission’s unprecedented Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. They have a deadline of July 25 to upload voter enumeration forms in their respective jurisdictions. To get a sense of the formidable challenge of the task and to see how hapless residents are at its receiving end, The Indian Express followed a BLO through his day — and long night. Since June 25, when the SIR exercise began, BLOs in 534 blocks across the state have been going door to door, distributing enumerated forms and collecting filled-up forms. Several districts have raced ahead of us and uploaded forms fast – with or without documents, says the BLO. The BLO hopes to get at least 100 filled- up forms today and hopes to complete the task by the end of the day. He says: “The app rarely opens during the day and the internet slows down at night. The officers tell us to go where the network is good.”
To get a sense of the formidable challenge of the task and to see how hapless residents are at its receiving end, The Indian Express followed a BLO through his day — and long night.
“The app rarely opens during the day and the internet slows down at night. The officers tell us to go where the network is good. Kya pahad par chadhun (Should I climb a mountain)?” says the exasperated BLO, a 49-year-old middle-school teacher in a south Bihar district who agrees to speak on condition of anonymity.
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It’s almost 10 pm Monday by the time the BLO returned from the field. Since June 25, when the SIR exercise began, BLOs in 534 blocks across the state have been going door to door, distributing enumeration forms and collecting filled-up forms.
Tonight, he has around 60 filled-up enumeration forms – and voluminous supporting documents – to upload. So far, of the over 1,200 voters in his booth, he has been able to collect forms from barely 150.
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As per the EC notification, those who don’t figure in the 2003 electoral rolls of Bihar (when the poll panel says it did its last SIR) have to submit at least one of 11 documents to prove date and / or place of birth, and for those born after July 1, 1987, that of their parents as well – which is akin to citizenship proof. The list of documents includes neither Aadhaar or PAN, nor the existing voter ID.
Of the 60 forms he has to upload today, only 12 are with the mandatory document.
After a quick meal of two rotis and dal, the BLO heads straight to his room, which is cluttered with enumeration forms and other documents — mostly photocopies of Aadhaar cards, domicile certificates, Class 10 marksheets and birth certificates.
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He opens the BLO app on his phone and enters his login details. Then begins the painstaking process of uploading each document: scan the form and the documents > click next > upload front page > upload back page. That’s for voters on the 2003 electoral rolls. For those who are not, the BLO has to leaf through the documents submitted and then upload the relevant ones.
The first voter whose form he uploads tonight has his name listed in the 2003 electoral rolls. On the app, he enters the voter ID, which takes him to the voter’s Assembly constituency and the 2003 voter list. He uploads the list mentioning the voter, along with the voter’s form. “Since he is on the 2003 list, thankfully, I don’t have to upload any new document,” he says.
The internet works in fits and starts. The BLO stares at his buffering screen, anxiously taking sips of water in between. The tea his wife has left in a thermos flask stays unopened. “Let me upload at least 15 forms before I stop for tea,” he says.
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Twenty minutes – that’s how long it takes him to upload the first form. He has 59 more to go.
By 2.15 am, he has uploaded 30 forms and can’t go on any further.
Next morning, the BLO skips his breakfast and leaves for the field after gulping down a glass of sattu (roasted gram flour). He hopes to get at least 100 filled-up forms today.
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Barely two hours later, as he makes the round of a few villages in his block, he gets a call from the block office. With the phone on speaker, the voice at the other end says, “What are you doing on the field? Don’t waste time collecting documents. Several districts have raced ahead of us. Upload the forms fast – with or without documents.”
The BLO hangs up and decides to head home. So far, he has got about 80-odd filled-up forms. He instructs the villagers who have gathered around him to submit their forms. “Bas sign kar dijiyega, aur hum dekh lenge (You just sign the form and send, we will see the rest),” he says before leaving.
On July 6, the office of the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) had published an advertisement in local newspapers informing electors that they can submit their enumeration forms now and provide the required documents later. That had offered a glimmer of hope to some that there could be a longer window for the submission of documents but hours later, the EC clarified that the SIR was being conducted as per its June 24 order and “there is no change in the instructions”.
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Also Read | Supreme Court to hear pleas challenging Bihar electoral rolls revision on July 10
“The electors can submit their documents any time before July 25, 2025. After publication of draft Electoral Rolls, if any document is deficient, EROs (Electoral Registration Officers) can obtain such documents, from the electors whose name appears in the draft Electoral Rolls, during scrutiny in the Claims and Objection period,” read the EC’s clarification.
By 11 am, the BLO is home. He had forgotten his daily dose of thyroid medication this morning. “We have been working non-stop since 25 June – for 10-16 hours a day. It’s chaotic – the rules keep changing. Initially, we were told to ask for all documents, even birth and residence proofs of those on the 2003 list. But as people started getting confused and angry, our officers said those on the 2003 list don’t need any extra documents. Now, they are asking us not to insist on documents for the others, too,” he says.
It’s much easier to upload the documents without the supporting documents. “Let me show you how,” he says, opening the BLO app. “You see this ‘Skip’ option? That’s all I need to do now,” says Prakash, smiling, and clicking on the ‘Recommended’ button. The form is uploaded.
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Even with the relaxed rules, it takes a while to upload the forms. He had set a daily target of 100 forms, but by 1 pm, he has barely uploaded 20. “So far, I have only uploaded 50 forms of the total 1,200 in our block. I have only 17 days left. At this rate, how will I ever finish?” he says.
His wife insists that he eat his lunch before proceeding any further. After a lunch of rice, dal and fried potatoes, the fatigue of the last few days catches up with the BLO and he allows himself a short nap.
He is up again by 2 pm, and sits down with the forms. By 5 pm, he has uploaded another 30 forms. As he breaks for tea, he says, “As a teacher, I have a piece of advice for the Election Commission. “If you have to do such an exercise, do it in a non-election year. Do it over at least six months – that will give people time to make the required documents. You can then rope us in to carry out verifications. Even better, link the voter card with Aadhaar so that there is no duplication in the voter list. Set up an online desk for migrants… Of course, I am no one to dole out advice. I am only a teacher — and a BLO.”