Barwani, Jan 21 (IANS): Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari on Wednesday alleged that a section of government-appointed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) involved in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state are acting under pressure from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing the media in Barwani district, Patwari claimed that nearly five per cent of the BLOs engaged in the SIR exercise were functioning as “agents of the BJP” and deliberately removing the names of Congress supporters from the voter list. He alleged that tribal voters, particularly those who migrate seasonally for livelihood, were being unfairly targeted.
“I want to clearly warn the BLOs that if the names of tribals and Congress supporters are deliberately removed from the voters’ list at the behest of the BJP, the Congress party will register FIRs against those responsible,” Patwari said.
Patwari, who was in Barwani along with Madhya Pradesh Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar for a party programme in the Sendhwa Assembly constituency, said the district is predominantly tribal and particularly vulnerable to such alleged manipulation. He added that while 95 per cent of BLOs were performing their duties honestly, a small but significant section was allegedly misusing its authority.
The Congress leader also claimed that the party had identified irregularities in the electoral rolls being prepared by the Election Commission. “Over the past two to three days, we have noticed a conspiracy by the BJP to influence the SIR process. They are pressuring BLOs to delete the names of Congress supporters, and we will expose this conspiracy,” he asserted.
More than 65,000 BLOs—drawn from various state government departments including teachers, Anganwadi workers, and municipal officials—are currently engaged in the SIR exercise across Madhya Pradesh.
In a related development, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar wrote to the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), flagging “discrepancies” and a “lack of transparency” in the SIR process. He expressed concern that after the release of the draft electoral roll, a large number of voters were listed under system-generated discrepancies, such as inconsistencies in age or parental details.
Singhar warned that these data-based indicators were meant only for verification but had created fear and confusion among voters. Notably, the draft electoral roll released on December 23 indicated that over 42.7 lakh voters—about 7.4 per cent of the electorate—were likely to be deleted.
