SIR in Bengal: BJP, CPI(M) way ahead of Trinamool in appointments of booth level agents

Kolkata, Nov 5 With the Election Commission of India (ECI) having started the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, the two main opposition parties in the state, the BJP and CPI(M), are ahead of the ruling Trinamool Congress in appointments of booth-level agents (BLAs).

As per statistics available with the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, as of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the total number of BLAs appointed by the BJP and CPI(M) is 24,858 and 18,706, respectively.

On the other hand, sources in the CEO's office said that, till that period, the total number of BLAs appointed by Trinamool Congress was just 13,526. Congress is in the distant fourth position, appointing just 5,797 BLAs till that period.

As per statistics available with the ECI's office, the total number of booth-level agents (BLAs) appointed by the recognised national and state political parties registered with the ECI, including the four already mentioned, currently stands at over 63,940. The figure includes BLA-1s and BLA-2s.

While a BLA-1 is a party representative for an assembly constituency, a BLA-2 represents the party concerned for a polling booth. The number of BLAs appointed so far by political parties registered with the ECI is quite low; therefore, the district election officers have requested the leadership of all political parties to deploy one agent per booth.

The ECI has already expressed surprise over the significantly low ratio of booth-level officers (BLOs) appointed by the commission to the booth-level agents (BLAs) nominated by political parties in West Bengal.

At an all-party meeting held on October 28, West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manoj Kumar Agarwal, reportedly expressed concern about the shortfall, urging party representatives to appoint BLAs in sufficient numbers to ensure a transparent and efficient revision process. He also assured that BLOs would maintain regular interactions with the BLAs of all recognised parties during the SIR.

"Now, with the BLO-to-BLA ratio in West Bengal so low, the process of regular BLO–BLA interaction will be hampered to a great extent. Hence, the commission is insisting that political parties take proactive steps to appoint an adequate number of BLAs," the sources in the CEO's office said.

The entire SIR process is expected to conclude by March 2026 at the latest. The last such revision in West Bengal was conducted in 2002.

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