Bharatiya Janata Party Punjab President Sardar Kewal Singh Dhillon has submitted a detailed representation to the Election Commission of India and the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, expressing serious concern over the alleged illegal activities being carried out by certain government officials and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party has urged the Election Commission to intervene immediately and issue necessary corrective directions.
In his letter, Dhillon alleged that in various parts of the state, some officials deployed for election-related duties are collecting data related to various Punjab Government welfare schemes under the guise of electoral roll revision and encouraging people to avail benefits under those schemes. The BJP stated that such activities are completely contrary to the objectives of the Election Commission's revision exercise and are illegal.
It further alleged that at several places, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are demanding unauthorized documents from tenant voters, such as registered rent agreements or affidavits from landlords, even though no such requirement exists in the Election Commission's prescribed guidelines. These unwarranted demands are causing unnecessary hardship to ordinary voters and making the electoral process unnecessarily cumbersome.
The party has placed several key demands before the Election Commission. It has sought an immediate inquiry and strict disciplinary action against officials allegedly collecting data beyond the prescribed mandate and promoting government schemes during the SIR exercise.
It has also sought action to curb the arbitrary practice of BLOs demanding unauthorized documents from tenant voters. The BJP has further urged the Election Commission to issue strict instructions to all District Election Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to ensure that no documents other than those prescribed under the rules are demanded from voters.
Dhillon emphasized that the issue directly concerns public interest and the credibility of the electoral process. He urged the Election Commission to ensure that the electoral roll revision exercise is conducted in a completely fair, transparent, voter-friendly, and time-bound manner.