Ahmedabad BLOs protest over ‘mapping’ in SIR, allege pressure from officials

Booth Level Officers (BLOs) of the Amraiwadi in Ahmedabad staged a protest on Monday, raising strong objections against what they described as an “impractical and excessively burdensome” voter mapping task assigned by the Election Commission.

More than 200 BLOs gathered at KK Shastri College in Khokhra, where they held a sit-in demonstration, alleging administrative pressure, unrealistic workload, and threats of disciplinary action.

Sudden change in workload triggers protest

According to the BLOs, they were initially instructed only to submit forms of ASD (Absent, Shifted, Dead) voters. However, the assignment was abruptly expanded, requiring detailed mapping of every voter—a task they say is complex, time-consuming, and difficult to execute in the given timeframe.

Under the new process, BLOs must fill in additional details beneath the voter-submitted form, based on the 2002 SIR (Special Intensive Revision). Since voters provide only basic information, BLOs must individually search the Election Commission’s website, verify identities online, and then manually fill in the technical details.

Allegations of pressure, warning notices

The protesting staff alleged that senior administrative officers were exerting immense pressure to complete the mapping work at an unrealistic pace.

BLOs said they work at KK Shastri College until 1 pm and then proceed directly to field visits. Despite this, they are asked to report again to the college at 3 pm, failing which they reportedly face threats of official notices.

They further claimed that WhatsApp groups managed by Mamlatdar and deputy Mamlatdar-level officials are being used to send repeated instructions and warnings, increasing stress among the workers.