1.8 crore personnel deployed for Lok Sabha polls, says CEC
Lucknow: More than 13.4 crore electors were included in the final electoral roll published in Uttar Pradesh after the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in April this year, said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday. Addressing an interaction with booth level officers (BLOs) in Lucknow, Kumar said the revision of electoral rolls was carried out by 1.77 lakh BLOs in the state. The exercise was also subjected to a concurrent audit by more than 5.82 lakh booth level agents (BLAs) appointed by recognised political parties. More than 500 BLOs and 30 BLO supervisors from different parts of UP attended the programme.
Because they worked directly with voters at the grassroots, he said BLOs were the first interface between the ECI and citizens and added that they served as repositories of trust and transparency in the electoral process.
He said BLOs played a key role in ensuring the accuracy and transparency of electoral rolls. He said their work continued to be central to ensuring that eligible citizens were included in the voters’ list and that electoral records remained accurate. The CEC said the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections in India were carried out strictly according to the constitution, laws and instructions issued by the EC. He said the SIR exercise in Uttar Pradesh demonstrated the importance of cooperation between election officials and recognised political parties. This system, he said, helped add another layer of scrutiny and strengthened public confidence in the electoral rolls.
Describing BLOs as the ‘foundation of Indian democracy’, he urged them to work with transparency, dedication and responsibility. Kumar underlined the important role played by Uttar Pradesh’s BLOs in preparing the electoral rolls.