Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Hundreds of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been working round-the-clock for months to make the assembly elections possible. Apart from their duties, they handle election work.
Their schedule has become so hectic that they are unable to give time to their families and enjoy the festive season. Some of them will not be able to visit their hometowns to celebrate Diwali as they are not allowed to leave the city.
Anil Mandloi, a technical assistant at MLB College, who has been working as BLO since April this year has told the Free Press that this is an important responsibility and he cannot be even a bit careless. “This year, I won’t be able to celebrate Diwali at my ancestral home in Nimad,” he said. Collecting necessary documents for enrolment of new voters was the biggest challenge for him. “I had to make numerous phone calls and make rounds of their homes,” he added.
An anganwadi worker, Roopa Ahirwar, who is a BLO in Narela constituency, said the voters have become aware now and many of them complete the formalities for getting enrolled online, but some still need to be persuaded. “I have been working as BLO since August. I leave my home at 10 am and am only able to return by late evening. I have not been able to do the Diwali cleaning,” she said.
Rehan Khan, an assistant at Bhopal collectorate, said they have been given the additional responsibility of identifying 80-plus and PwD voters within their jurisdiction. “As we are not allowed to leave the city, I had to miss a family wedding at Indore,” Khan, who is BLO in Bhopal Madhya constituency, said.
A middle school teacher, Jyotsana Singh, is the BLO of a booth in Bhopal Uttar constituency. She has been working as a poll official since October last year. “Sometimes I feel guilty that my students are suffering because of my deployment in poll duty,” she added.
