Bengaluru, June 29 (IANS) The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Monday urged the Chief Electoral Officer to immediately rectify alleged discrepancies in the details of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and BLO Supervisors published on the official CEO website and postpone the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls until accurate and verified information is made available.

The Election Commission has completed preparations to launch the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the state. As part of the programme, a door-to-door verification drive will be conducted from June 29 to July 29.

In a representation submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer, KPCC Media and Communication Department Chairman and MLC Ramesh Babu alleged that the official website contains conflicting information regarding BLOs and BLO Supervisors, creating confusion among voters and political stakeholders. He has also urged the postponement of the SIR process until accurate information is made available.

According to the representation, the CEO's website currently hosts two separate sets of information: one titled "BLOs & BLO Supervisor List", containing the names and mobile numbers of Booth Level Officers and BLO Supervisors, and another titled "Information on Voter Facilitation Centres, BLO Facilitation Centres and Officer Contact Details (Continuously Updated)", which also provides names and contact details of BLOs and BLO Supervisors.

The Congress party alleged that verification of the two lists revealed discrepancies, with several polling areas showing different names and mobile numbers for the same BLOs and supervisors. It cited Assembly Constituencies 128 and 153 as examples where conflicting information had been published.

The party contended that the publication of contradictory official data had created serious confusion among voters, political parties, Booth Level Agents (BLAs), election observers and other stakeholders.

"A voter approaching a Booth Level Officer based on one list may find that another officer is shown in the second list. Such inconsistencies defeat the very purpose of publishing official contact details and adversely affect the smooth implementation of the Special Intensive Revision process," the representation stated.

Congress further argued that electoral roll revision is a statutory exercise requiring accuracy, transparency and certainty regarding the identity of election officials. It maintained that conflicting official information undermines public confidence in the electoral process and could prevent voters from effectively accessing services related to enrolment, correction or deletion of names from the electoral rolls.

In its representation, the KPCC sought six specific measures from the Chief Electoral Officer: Immediate verification and rectification of discrepancies between the two published lists; Publication of a single authenticated and uniform list of BLOs and BLO Supervisors with correct names, designations, polling station details and mobile numbers; Removal of any incorrect or outdated lists from the official website.

Issuance of a public clarification identifying the authentic list until all discrepancies are resolved; A district-wise verification of all BLO and BLO Supervisor contact details before proceeding further with the SIR exercise; Postponement of the ongoing SIR process if the discrepancies cannot be rectified immediately, until verified information is published and made accessible to all stakeholders.

The Congress party maintained that the electoral process must not only be fair but also appear to be fair, asserting that inconsistent information regarding election officials could adversely affect transparency and public confidence.

The party has requested the Chief Electoral Officer to treat the representation as urgent, take immediate corrective action and communicate the action taken at the earliest.

--IANS

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