Voters’ absence, indifference, misbehaviour in some cases and even the return of blank forms are some of the problems that booth level officers (BLOs) face in the field under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Take the case of Kamlesh Kumar Sharma, 41, a BLO active in the Salauli area of Gosaiganj under the Mohanlalganj assembly constituency on the outskirts of Lucknow.
Along with Salauli, Sharma has been assigned the Raghunath Purva, Newatin Purva and Pancham Purva hamlets, which together have approximately 1,450 voters.
“Some families have left their home to attend weddings or receptions of relatives and friends. An even bigger problem is when you get a blank form back. We had to fill out all the forms and upload them on the app after speaking to them over the phone,” he said.
“If the app doesn’t work properly during the day, we bring the forms home and feed them at night to ensure the work is completed on time,” he said.
“Our block education officer Ramraj set up a form feeding centre at BRC Gosaiganj. Now, approximately 80% of us (teachers) are on duty. About 80% of the work has been completed,” he said.
On Monday, he was shell-shocked when a middle-aged voter rebuked him: “You are not doing your primary duty as a teacher. We are into December and examinations are due in a few months. Do you realise how poorly children will perform?”
Sharma said he tried his best to explain that he was bound to do his work or he would face action, but the reply did not impress the middle-aged man.
He recalled an instance when he nearly lost his cool but somehow managed to stay calm.
“A middle-aged man yelled at me for waking him up in the afternoon.”
“At a two- storeyed building, a voter threw the SIR form from the verandah. I went running after it,” he said.
Sharma clarified that while a majority of the voters were very cooperative, the behaviour of some was unacceptable.
“A few voters feel BLOs must come to their place as per the voter’s convenience,” he said.
Sharma said it is not humanly possible for BLOs to reach voters’ houses at a time decided by them.
He had a reason to smile on Sunday, when TV channels flashed the news of the Election Commission of India (ECI) extending the SIR schedule across 12 states and Union Territories by a week.
It eased the pressure on Kamlesh who was busy digitising data from piles of SIR forms he collected the previous day.
Two other BLOs from the same primary school in Salauli , Neeraj Singh (40) and Ramshankar (41), said they are busy completing the digitisation of details filled by voters.
“Along with Kamlesh, we are working as a unit,” the duo said.