Understanding the Duties and Eligibility Criteria for Booth Level Officer

Having free and fair elections is the key to any democracy. To ensure that we have a fair system of election where there are no malpractices, impersonation, bogus voting, or other unfair means- the Government has tried to ensure a system where things run smoothly, and the electoral rolls prepared are authentic. This is where the role of a Booth Level Officer (BLO) becomes crucial. So what is BLO, and what is the eligibility criteria for Booth Level Officer? Let us take a quick look.

What is BLO?

Local Government or Semi-Government official who knows the local electors
They usually themselves belong to the same polling area
They assist in updating the electoral roll based on their knowledge
They can also be called representatives of the Election Commission of India at the grass-root level.
They help in revising the electoral roll
They help in actual field work to get more information from the area assigned to him or her
BLO is not a full-time electoral official, but more of a civic duty
Each BLO had one to two polling stations under their jurisdiction
They are like a friend, philosophers, and guides to local people when it comes to electoral roll

Who can be appointed as BLO?

Section 13B (2) of the Representation of People Act, 1950 states that BLOs are appointed from amongst the officers of the Govt. /Semi Govt. /Local Bodies. These can include-

Teachers
Anganwadi workers,
Patwari/Amin/Lekhpal,
Panchayat Secretary,
Village Level Workers,
Electricity Bill Readers,
Postman,
Auxiliary Nurses & Mid-wives,
Health workers
Mid-day meal workers,
Contract teachers,
Corporation Tax Collectors, and
Clerical Staff in Urban areas (UDC/LDC etc.)

THE BLO is appointed by the District Election Officer (DEO) in consultation with the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).

What are the responsibilities of the BLOs?

The BLO is responsible for making field visits to the villages or towns in their assigned areas and talking to people to identify names of voters who have shifted, are dead or are duplicates in the rolls.
They also receive any claims or objections
Check inclusion and exclusion errors
Collecting photos of electors, Checking details of spellings, entries of duplicate names, part header page, photos etc. of electors in the roll

In short, the BLO is responsible for keeping the electoral rolls up to date and removing any errors in it as well.

Eligibility Criteria for Booth Level Officer

Though the exact criteria is not mentioned as they are selected by the District Election Officer (DEO) in consultation with the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). But some of these points are important-