EC tightens voter slip distribution norms in West Bengal ahead of assembly polls

Kolkata (PTI): With the West Bengal assembly polls drawing closer, the Election Commission has directed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in the state to distribute door-to-door voter slips strictly as per guidelines, with the document containing all relevant information of electors, a senior official said.

The directive comes amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, where assembly polls are due in less than three months.

“Clear instructions have been issued to ensure that voter slips are distributed strictly as per the Election Commission guidelines,” the official told PTI.

BLOs have been directed to distribute voter slips bearing the official logo of the Commission.

“The voter slips must contain all relevant details, including the elector’s name, age, address, EPIC number, part number, booth number and the name of the polling station,” an EC source said.

While guidelines issued by the Commission in 2018 had already placed the responsibility of door-to-door voter slip distribution on BLOs, these instructions were not strictly followed during past elections, the source said.

“In most cases, it was noticed that representatives of political parties were distributing voter slips during elections,” another official said.

“If any voter does not receive the slip at home from the designated BLO of the booth concerned, the elector can call the EC helpline number and lodge a complaint,” he said.

The Commission will take strict action against the BLO concerned within 24 hours of receiving such a complaint, the official added.