Your BLO may share your confusion of what next after filling online SIR form

Many electors who were worried that their respective Booth Level Officer (BLO) was a no show and filled the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) enumeration form online have been asking the question: what comes next?

While it may not be widespread, the confusion arose in certain cases when BLOs eventually turned up at electors’ doorsteps or called them on their mobile phones to check their availability for the purpose of form distribution. When informed that the forms had already been filled online, some BLOs were either unclear about what to do next, or insisted that the hard copy also be filled.

In one case, an elector from Mallapur, an area that is part of the Uppal Assembly constituency in Medchal Malkajgiri district, said he was informed that filling the enumeration form online was of little use. The elector was asked to meet the BLO at a public place where he could collect the forms for himself and his family.

“The BLO called me on Friday (July 3) morning. When I went there and informed the BLO that I had already filled the online enumeration form and received an acknowledgement, I was told that it was of little use. The forms were handed over to me in any case,” said Varun Kumar (name changed on request), who collected the forms for his parents as well. “The BLO was clueless of what to do. They had no answer of the online process when I showed them a screenshot of the acknowledgement,” he added. Mr Kumar left with the forms and the promise of affixing passport photographs.

In another case, Abdul Qader, an elector from the Khairtabad constituency who had filled the form on June 28, said he did so because he did not want to wait for the BLO. “When I finally managed to speak the BLO, he asked me to take the form and fill it in any case, and attach the acknowledgement. He encouraged me to be cautious,” he said.

M. A. Akram, an activist who has been working as a volunteer to assist electors in filling the enumeration forms, pointed out that with the slow pace of form distribution, he had come across cases in which electors preferred to fill the forms online. “However, at times there is confusion. Many did not know till told that they have to meet the BLO and submit the form with the acknowledgement in any case. So they are seeing this as duplication. Electors are unfortunately unaware of the procedure,” he said.

When contacted, a BLO pointed out that it is mandatory for electors to return the form to the BLO irrespective of whether they filled it online or in hard copy. Otherwise, the SIR process for the elector would not be complete.