Anxious calls flood BLOs as voters find spelling, age errors on list

Kolkata: Booth-level officers (BLOs) across the city have been inundated with phone calls and walk-in queries from anxious voters ever since the draft SIR list was published on Tuesday, pointing at a range of errors, ranging from spelling errors and age discrepancies to missing surnames and altered serial numbers.

Ranjan Mridha, a BLO in Tollygunge, said the calls started almost immediately after the list was uploaded. "People are complaining about misspelt names and changed serial numbers. I am trying to convince them that I rectified all the details that they provided but those corrections are not reflecting. I have no explanation for the errors," he said. Mridha had 788 registered electors, of whom 181 names were deleted under the absent, shifted, deceased/duplicate category.


Most worried are unmapped voters, those who have not been mapped to the last SIR roll of any state or UT, including Bengal's 2002 SIR rolls. Such voters will be sent notices from the EC for hearings before their names are out on the final SIR list. A BLO from Beleghata said around 50 voters in his area were not mapped. "These unmapped voters have been calling me up repeatedly, demanding to know about a tentative date for EC hearing. They fear the date may clash with their holiday plans. But I have not yet received any intimation from the EC about the schedule," he said.

Similar scenes have been playing out in Lake Gardens, where a BLO reported a steady stream of calls and visits from voters, flagging errors in age, spelling and surnames. "In several cases, the surname, ‘Sengupta', has been recorded as ‘Sen'. I distinctly remember entering the correct surnames during enumeration. I have no idea how this change crept in," the BLO said, adding such complaints had been coming in throughout the day.

BLOs have been spending the day, trying to allay fears and reassure voters. Soma Ray Mandal, a BLO in the Maniktala assembly constituency, said while the majority of entries on her part had come out correct, voters were still anxious. "Out of 530 electors, 462 names are on the draft roll. Sixty-eight forms could not be collected due to death or relocation. Another 33 will be called for a hearing, which I already informed them about while collecting their forms and asked them not to panic," she said. "People are calling to check their status, but so far there has been no major mistake."

In the Rabindra Sarani area under Shyampukur constituency, BLO Chhanda Majhi said that being from the same neighbourhood, she had turned into a natural point of contact. "Most people here know me. They are either calling me up or visiting my house to check if their names are on the rolls. I have corrected the logical discrepancies on the portal," she said.

In central Kolkata, under the Chowringhee assembly constituency, a BLO echoed Majhi, saying there had been a steady flow of visitors to the office. "Most people are coming to check their names. A few found their names missing, I explained to them the reasons for deletion and advised them to submit fresh forms for new enrolment," the BLO said.