BLOs under Trinamool pressure responsible for voter list irregularities in Bengal: BJP leader

Kolkata, Dec 21 BJP leader Dilip Ghosh on Sunday said that the responsibility for alleged irregularities in the voter list in West Bengal lies with Booth Level Officers (BLOs), claiming that they have acted under pressure from the ruling Trinamool Congress.

Speaking to IANS, Ghosh said, "In Bengal, just like Bihar, some Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have committed serious irregularities due to pressure from the Trinamool Congress. Hence, lakhs of names will be deleted from the electoral rolls. If even a single name has been wrongly added to the voter list, the BLO concerned is to be held responsible."

He asserted that strict action would follow against those found guilty of manipulating the voter rolls.

"All those involved will have to face action; some may receive show-cause notices, while others could be sent to jail. They should be prepared. The list will be cleansed," Ghosh added.

Meanwhile, following the publication of the draft electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal on December 11, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to begin hearings for electors who are dissatisfied with mapping details or for unmapped voters.

These include individuals whose information could not be linked with the 2002 SIR data but whose names still appeared in the draft electoral rolls. The hearings are scheduled to commence after December 25.

The ECI has decided to develop dedicated software under which each elector summoned for the hearing will be assigned a separate account to streamline the process.

The Election Commission has also announced that more than 4,000 micro-observers will be recruited from various Central government organisations for the exercise.

These micro-observers will function as the eyes of the ECI at each hearing table, recording proceedings in detail and submitting their reports directly to the Commission.

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