Ranchi: Ahead of the State Integrated Review (SIR) and following directives from the Election Commission of India, Jharkhand Congress is taking the appointment of Booth-Level Agents (BLA) across all polling stations very seriously. Party sources indicate that the process is moving rapidly and Congress is expected to complete BLA appointments for all its booths soon.
Raju, in-charge of Congress in Jharkhand, has given party district presidents a deadline of December 25 to finalize the appointments. So far, Suryakant Shukla, rural panchayat in-charge, confirmed to Reporter Post that BLAs have been appointed in 1,748 panchayats, identifying nearly 7,000 agents, with appointments in around 1,000 more panchayats expected shortly. Once completed, the list of appointed BLAs will be submitted to district election officers by district presidents.
Shukla emphasized that all selected BLAs meet the Election Commission’s eligibility criteria, including being registered voters in their respective polling areas. He also clarified that BLAs and booth agents are different: while booth agents may be selected by the returning officer to assist a local candidate during elections, BLAs are official party functionaries with complete organizational records.
Under the guidance of Jharkhand in-charge Raju, the process is ongoing and expected to be completed by December 20 for all assembly constituency booths. Lohardaga district Congress has already submitted its BLA list to the district election officer on November 8. The Election Commission had issued a letter on September 23 urging all political parties in Jharkhand to expedite BLA appointments in compliance with its guidelines.