Strict action promised after obstruction of BLOs work in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rathan U Kelkar on Wednesday said that stringent legal action will be taken against those who obstructed the work of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Malappuram and Idukki districts. BLOs are constitutionally nominated officers working for the Election Commission. We have asked the district collectors to initiate strict criminal action against whoever obstructs this work, as per Section 121 of the BNS, the CEO said at a press conference here. He added that collectors have also been asked to approach the local police for support in case of any issues related to the BLOs duties. Kelkar further stated that legal action will also be taken against individuals who launch cyberattacks against BLOs and spread fake news and misinformation. Stating that over 97% of enumeration forms have already been distributed across the state, the CEO said some BLOs have begun the digitisation process. Over 5 lakh forms have already been digitised, he said. Earlier in the day, Kelkar had appreciated the BLOs for their efforts in completing this stage of the process. According to the CEO, more than 55,000 individuals have been marked by the BLOs as untraceable. These categories include shifted, deceased, duplicates, and others. Over 29,000 people have been identified as deceased, 20,000 as shifted, 3,800 as duplicates, and more than 4,500 as untraceable. The specific details of this will be released in the next all-party meeting scheduled for this Saturday, Kelkar said. He noted that urban areas in Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam remain challenging for distributing the enumeration forms. Expressing condolences to the family of Payyannu BLO Aneesh George, who died by suicide while executing the SIR process, Kelkar said the district collectors report has already been sent to the Election Commission. We also reiterate that all kinds of possible support will be extended to Aneeshs family, he said, adding that the investigation is underway. Addressing concerns raised by BLOs who did not report to work on the day of the strike following Aneeshs death, Kelkar said that no action will be taken against them. We understand their sentiments. This is also misinformation, which demotivates the BLOs who have been working efficiently, he said. The CEO also clarified that rumours about action against BLOs who fail to adhere to the deadline are fake. He refuted allegations that certain district collectors are threatening or pressurising BLOs to complete their work on time. Commenting on the support from political parties, Kelkar said there has been an increase of more than 4,000 booth-level agents in the process. BLOs have been instructed by the CEO to organise meetings with BLAs nominated by recognised political parties to ensure maximum accuracy and transparency. They can easily identify and avoid duplication, he said.