Relaxing the criteria for parties to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs), the Election Commission has allowed the BLAs to be a registered elector of the same Assembly constituency, as opposed to the earlier requirement of BLAs being electors of the booth in which they are appointed.
While the BJP has hailed the move, stating that it would empower political parties to contribute more effectively towards accurate voter lists, West Bengal’s ruling TMC on Wednesday accused the EC of bending the rules “to favour the BJP”.
The TMC hit out at the EC’s decision, alleging that it would benefit the BJP in the ongoing SIR in West Bengal as the party was finding it difficult to appoint BLAs in the state. Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said the EC had “bent the rules to favour the BJP”.
He said, “Since the BJP has failed miserably in finding agents across all booths, the Election Commission has conveniently rewritten the rulebook. Now, a BLA can be a voter from any booth within the same assembly constituency.”
Earlier, the BJP had welcomed the move with West Bengal Assembly Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari stating on X on Tuesday: “I welcome the… decision… enhances flexibility by allowing BLAs from the same Assembly Constituency in cases of unavailability, while ensuring rigorous scrutiny of electoral rolls to identify shifted or deceased voters. This will undoubtedly strengthen the integrity of our electoral process, promote transparency, and empower political parties to contribute more effectively towards accurate voter lists. A big thumbs up to the ECI for listening to the ground realities and bolstering democracy.”
