Alarm raised over functioning of BLOs

Hyderabad: Political parties have alleged that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are not conducting door-to-door verification in parts of Hyderabad ahead of the pre-Special Intensive Revision (pre-SIR) exercise, raising concerns regarding voter mapping and roll verification.Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) spokesperson Amjed Ullah Khan, in a complaint submitted to the Telangana chief electoral officer, alleged irregularities in the functioning of BLOs in Yakutpura, Chandrayangutta, Malakpet, Charminar, Bahadurpura and Karwan assembly constituencies under the Hyderabad parliamentary constituency.‘BLOs operating from party offices’Khan alleged that instead of visiting voters’ homes for verification, some BLOs were functioning from local party offices or the residences of political leaders, forcing voters to approach these places for verification. The complaint also alleged that official BLO phone numbers were being answered by local political workers or leaders rather than the officers concerned.According to the complaint, these practices have created apprehensions among voters that the verification process could be influenced and that electoral rolls may be manipulated, including possible deletion of voters perceived to be affiliated with rival political parties.Data privacy concerns flaggedThe MBT also alleged that BLO login IDs and passwords were shared with unauthorised persons, enabling them to download and operate the BLO app and access confidential voter data. Khan said this raised serious concerns over voter data privacy, including sensitive information relating to Muslim women voters.He requested the CEO to order an immediate inquiry into the functioning of BLOs in the affected constituencies, ensure strict door-to-door verification, investigate the alleged misuse of login credentials, put in place safeguards for voter information and initiate disciplinary action against officials found violating election norms.