Residents of Patna await booth-level-officers as deadline for enumeration forms nears

PATNA: Raju Sinha has been eagerly waiting for booth-level officers (BLOs) to present enumeration forms (EFs) to his residence successful Patna's Patel Nagar for the past 18 days. A wellness idiosyncratic posted successful Bhojpur district, helium leaves for bureau aboriginal each greeting and, aft reaching work, repeatedly calls his woman to cheque whether the forms person arrived."There are 13 votes successful my household, and if our names are not included successful the electoral rolls, we volition cease to beryllium voters. Time is moving out, and we are each rather worried," Sinha shared implicit the telephone connected Sunday. The past day for submitting EFs is July 25. With nary enactment left, helium yet contacted the territory predetermination officer's office, which assured him that the BLO acrophobic would beryllium sent to his residence "very soon".Munna Singh, a cloth trader residing successful Patna's Friends Colony, echoed Raju's concern: "No BLO has visited our country successful past 18 days."

The acquisition of Umesh Singh, a societal worker, is nary different. "No BLO has travel to my location successful Vijay Nagar locality. If this is the concern successful the authorities capital, ideate what it's similar successful the villages," Singh said with frustration. There are 4 electors successful his family, and they person ne'er missed an accidental to vote.They are not alone. Scores of residents successful Patna are inactive waiting for BLOs to sojourn their homes. While galore person taken the inaugural to spell to the nearest polling booths oregon interaction BLOs aft obtaining their mobile numbers, a ample fig are yet to taxable their EFs.

Election Commission (EC) claims that much than 80 per cent of the EFs person already been collected, stating that 4 retired of each 5 electors person submitted their forms, adjacent arsenic complaints of "missing" BLOs persist.As per EC guidelines, BLOs are required to behaviour door-to-door enumeration successful 3 steps: first, to administer the EFs to each existing electors; second, to usher them successful filling retired the forms; and third, to cod the completed EFs on with the indispensable documents.Deputy predetermination serviceman of Patna, Ashutosh Rai, said BLOs were actively engaged successful the task and would scope each household. "There is thing to interest about. If they haven't reached today, they volition decidedly travel tomorrow," helium told TOI.However, person of absorption successful the assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, dismissed EC's assertion of 80 per cent EF collection. "This assertion is fake. What tin we accidental astir others? Even our EFs haven't been collected," Tejashwi told reporters successful Patna connected Sunday, demanding that the canvass assemblage clarify the ground for its figures.Tejashwi alleged that determination were reports of BLOs submitting enumeration forms without the consent oregon signatures of electors and attaching fake signatures oregon thumb impressions. "EC officials are lone completing formalities. This full workout is being conducted astatine the behest of a governmental party," helium claimed, adding that electors were not adjacent being issued receipts oregon acknowledgement.He besides alleged that galore EFs were recovered scattered connected the streets of Patna and were being utilized to marque insubstantial bags.However, EC denied these allegations. "We received accusation via societal media that EFs were scattered implicit a metropolis flyover. An enquiry conducted by the lawman predetermination serviceman did not corroborate this," the main electoral serviceman of Bihar said successful a societal media station connected Sunday.