Ranchi: The Election Commission (EC) has tightened scrutiny of applications submitted in bulk by booth level agents (BLAs) of recognised political parties during Jharkhand’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. A ceiling of 10 applications a day is in force and cross-verification for BLAs submitting over 30 applications during the revision period is mandatory.State chief electoral officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar said, “Authorised BLAs could collectively submit electoral roll applications to booth level officers (BLOs), but all such applications would be subject to verification and scrutiny by the the electoral registration officer (ERO) before a decision is taken.”The daily ceiling has been reduced from 50 applications before publication of the draft electoral roll to 10 after its publication. Since the draft roll has been published in Jharkhand, BLAs at present can submit no more than 10 applications a day to the BLO concerned.The move comes amid heightened political and administrative scrutiny of the electoral roll revision process, in which political parties and their booth-level representatives have a strategic role to play in identifying eligible voters and flagging omissions or inaccuracies.“A BLA submitting applications collectively would have to furnish a written declaration or undertaking certifying that the particulars had been personally verified and were accurate. The declaration must carry the BLA’s full name, political party, date, and signature,” Kumar added.If a BLA submits over 30 applications during the entire revision exercise, the ERO or the assistant electoral registration officer (AERO) concerned would have to personally cross-verify the applications. The additional safeguard aims at preventing inaccuracies in bulk submissions and protecting the credibility of the electoral roll, he stated.Urging recognised political parties and their BLAs to adhere to EC procedures and co-operate with the revision process, the CEO said, “The twin objective was to ensure that no eligible Indian citizen is excluded from the roll and no ineligible or foreign citizen is included.”
