Ghaziabad Takes Action Against 26 Booth Officers for Missing Voter Camps
The Ghaziabad district administration has initiated departmental action against twenty-six booth-level officers. These BLOs remained absent without permission during special voter camps held on Sunday. The camps aimed to read out draft electoral rolls and assist eligible voters with Form 6 applications.
Inspections Reveal Unauthorized Absences
District Magistrate Ravindra Mander, who also serves as the district election officer, directed all electoral registration officers to inspect polling stations. These inspections occurred on January 18 during a special campaign for receiving claims and objections to the draft electoral rolls.
All booth-level officers received a mandate to be present at their polling stations. Their duties included reading the draft voter list aloud and helping eligible or left-out voters submit Form 6 with declarations and supporting documents.
During the inspections, officials found twenty-six BLOs absent without prior approval. The district magistrate confirmed departmental proceedings against them.
"We have initiated departmental proceedings against these officers," said DM Ravindra Mander. "This includes withholding their salaries until further notice. Supervisory officers from their respective departments will review their work."Door-to-Door Visits Begin for Unmapped Voters
Meanwhile, booth-level officers in Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar have started door-to-door visits. They are serving notices to unmapped voters ahead of hearings beginning January 21.
Ghaziabad ADM (Revenue) and deputy district election officer Saurabh Bhatt explained the process. "BLOs started delivering notices door to door to electors whose status is unmapped," he said. "After delivering the notice and receiving a copy of the required document from the voter, the BLOs must upload the details on the BLO app."
Officials stated that notices are being served at the residence of the elector or a family member by the concerned BLO. The acknowledgement of receipt, along with a photograph of the recipient, gets uploaded on the BLO application.
If the elector submits any one of the thirteen documents prescribed by the Election Commission at the time of receiving the notice, the BLO also uploads that document.
Hearings Scheduled Across Both Districts
Hearings will begin from January 21 at twenty-one locations in Ghaziabad and thirty-five locations in Gautam Budh Nagar. This schedule aims to ensure all cases are heard before the February 27 deadline.
Such voters will need to present specified documents during hearings with additional electoral registration officers.
During the January 18 camp, inspections were also carried out by UP chief electoral officer Navdeep Rinwa and district officials. They visited multiple polling stations in Sahibabad and Ghaziabad assembly constituencies.
The administration's actions highlight the importance of voter registration drives ahead of upcoming electoral processes. The crackdown on absentee officers and the proactive door-to-door campaign seek to ensure comprehensive voter inclusion.
