Residents of Patna await booth-level-officers as deadline for enumeration forms nears

PATNA: Raju Sinha has been eagerly waiting for booth-level officers (BLOs) to deliver enumeration forms (EFs) to his residence in Patna's Patel Nagar for the past 18 days. A health worker posted in Bhojpur district, he leaves for office early every morning and, after reaching work, repeatedly calls his wife to check whether the forms have arrived.

"There are 13 votes in my household, and if our names are not included in the electoral rolls, we will cease to be voters. Time is running out, and we are all quite worried," Sinha shared over the phone on Sunday.

The last date for submitting EFs is July 25. With no option left, he finally contacted the district election officer's office, which assured him that the BLO concerned would be sent to his residence "very soon".

Munna Singh, a cloth trader residing in Patna's Friends Colony, echoed Raju's concern: "No BLO has visited our area in past 18 days." The experience of Umesh Singh, a social worker, is no different. "No BLO has come to my house in Vijay Nagar locality. If this is the situation in the state capital, imagine what it's like in the villages," Singh said with frustration. There are four electors in his family, and they have never missed an opportunity to vote.

They are not alone. Scores of residents in Patna are still waiting for BLOs to visit their homes. While many have taken the initiative to go to the nearest polling booths or contact BLOs after obtaining their mobile numbers, a large number are yet to submit their EFs.

Election Commission (EC) claims that more than 80 per cent of the EFs have already been collected, stating that four out of every five electors have submitted their forms, even as complaints of "missing" BLOs persist.

As per EC guidelines, BLOs are required to conduct door-to-door enumeration in three steps: first, to distribute the EFs to all existing electors; second, to guide them in filling out the forms; and third, to collect the completed EFs along with the necessary documents.

Deputy election officer of Patna, Ashutosh Rai, said BLOs were actively engaged in the task and would reach every household. "There is nothing to worry about. If they haven't reached today, they will definitely come tomorrow," he told TOI.

However, leader of opposition in the assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, dismissed EC's claim of 80 per cent EF collection. "This claim is fake. What can we say about others? Even our EFs haven't been collected," Tejashwi told reporters in Patna on Sunday, demanding that the poll body clarify the basis for its figures.

Tejashwi alleged that there were reports of BLOs submitting enumeration forms without the consent or signatures of electors and attaching fake signatures or thumb impressions.

"EC officials are only completing formalities. This entire exercise is being conducted at the behest of a political party," he claimed, adding that electors were not even being issued receipts or acknowledgement.

He also alleged that many EFs were found scattered on the streets of Patna and were being used to make paper bags.

However, EC denied these allegations. "We received information via social media that EFs were scattered over a city flyover. An inquiry conducted by the deputy election officer did not confirm this," the chief electoral officer of Bihar said in a social media post on Sunday.