EC will take 'stronger' steps to include specially abled, transgenders in electoral process: CEC

A view of Election Commission of India office in New Delhi. (File Image: PTI)

The Election Commission will take "stronger" initiatives for senior citizens, specially abled and transgender persons to ensure that they are included in the electoral process with all due respect as deserved by them, CEC Rajiv Kumar said Wednesday. The chief election commissioner (CEC) said this while addressing booth level officers (BLOs) from across the country through video conferencing as he, along with Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey and other senior EC officers, released a first-ever bi-monthly 'e-Patrika' or online booklet for communicating with them.

The CEC lauded the BLOs for undertaking the "vital and important" job of strengthening electoral democracy under huge challenges as he underlined it was time to better equip them with technology and other facilities in these "changing times". There are about 10.37 lakh BLOs in the country and they are government officials, largely teachers and Anganwadi workers, who keep a record of all voters in a particular booth.

The Election Commission introduced them in 2006 and electoral laws empower them to undertake enrolment of new voters in their jurisdiction as soon as they turn 18 apart from rendering a variety of tasks in this domain. "BLOs join people to the (Election) Commission and to democracy...you are the eyes and voice of the commission on the ground. I have no doubt in saying that you are the building blocks and important link in electoral democracy...," the CEC said.

He said the "focus" of the commission is on senior citizens, PWDs (persons with disabilities) and transgenders, and BLOs will be an "important link" in achieving good results here. "Through you (BLOs) we have undertaken various initiatives and we further want to take stronger initiatives from the election point of view to show full respect to them as voters," Kumar said.

"You know how much society has changed and how these people have to be helped. Our interaction with you will be made as strong as possible," he said. The CEC said the commission's interaction with the BLOs will be more "intense" and in different "layers" in the coming days.

He also spoke about technology advancements being introduced in the electoral process and said they are trying to ensure that information sharing with these ground officials takes place in their local or vernacular language in the future and the voters' information to be utilised by them, like in various apps (smartphone applications), can be auto-populated. Election Commissioner Pandey also addressed the BLOs, saying the credit goes to them for making the electoral rolls of the country the "most authentic" document about people.

"You are the most important field level institution," Pandey said. He also asked the chief electoral officers of the states and the district electoral officers to see that the area of responsibility of a BLO is not more than seven kms from the place of their residence or work.