West Champaran: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list is currently underway in Bihar. The responsibility for this task falls to the booth level officers (BLOs), who are executing it on ground.On July 10-11, The Wire Hindi interviewed three BLOs and an assistant from West Champaran district. They claimed that the Election Commission mandates the distribution of forms through door-to-door visits. However, this is not feasible in practice.Typically, there are between 1,000 to 1,200 voters assigned to each polling station. This necessitates repeated visits to the same locality. Additionally, some names on the list belong to individuals residing in the jurisdiction of other BLOs.Initially, challenges arose from the need to revisit the same areas and the unavailability of residents (for instance, some individuals were away for work or visiting relatives). To mitigate this issue, they eventually ceased door-to-door visits. Currently, they distribute forms while seated at a village square or intersection, under a tree, or in front of a residence, wherever community members tend to congregate.When The Wire Hindi inquired about the Election Commission’s directive that each individual should receive two copies of the form along with an explanation on how to complete them, no BLO reported having provided two forms.Citizens holding up the form while filling them.An officer expressed surprise, questioning whether this was indeed a regulation. Others mentioned that at first, they attempted to guide individuals on how to fill out the form but over time, they recognised that they could only explain it to a limited number of people.A BLO noted that numerous individuals from the Musahar caste claimed they lacked any documentation because “aag lag la, sab jar gayil (everything was destroyed in the fire)”. Many BLOs themselves were uncertain about how to complete the form or which documents were required.For instance, one of the 11 acceptable documents for the census form is a passbook issued prior to 1987. However, many officials have mistakenly accepted passbooks from the current day as valid proof. Consequently, numerous forms have been submitted with bank passbooks as evidence.Nearly all BLOs reported that there were significant challenges in uploading the forms initially. The printed form contains a scan mark, which, when scanned using the SIR application, uploads a digital version that requires all information to be filled in. However, initially, individuals neither completed the forms in full nor provided the necessary documents.Block level instruction mandating the submission of all formsPreviously, they could only upload 10 to 15 forms per day. Subsequently, the application was updated, and directives were issued from the block level to ensure the submission of forms regardless of whether documents are included, signatures are present, the form is fully completed, or a photo is attached. The directive emphasised that the primary objective is to submit and upload the forms. Now, if the internet connection is stable and a BLO uploads the forms diligently, he can manage to upload approximately 90-100 forms in a single day.The BLO assistant also demonstrated how to use the application for special intensive revision. This application includes not only 11 types of documents but also a category labelled “any other document.” This category encompasses documents such as Aadhaar and ration cards, which are not listed among the 11 types of documents specified in the census form.Representational image. People filling their forms.When inquired about the Election Commission’s directive to accept only one of the 11 document types as proof, an official responded that if this were strictly enforced, many individuals from numerous villages would be unable to submit their forms.Regarding the recent Supreme Court ruling urging the Election Commission to consider the inclusion of ration cards, voter ID cards and Aadhaar cards alongside the 11 document types, all of them acknowledged that they had already been doing so even before the apex court’s ruling. The BLO assistant remarked that if administrative tasks are conducted solely according to the documentation, they will remain merely theoretical.No monetary compensation to BLO assistantThe government will offer monetary compensation to the BLO for the submission of forms. However, there is currently no information regarding any such payment to BLO assistants, such as Krishi Sahayak, Vikas Mitras, Anganwadi Sevikas, etc.A krishi sahayak, serving as a BLO assistant, stated that the BLO in his area is from Uttar Pradesh and has recently been appointed as a teacher in a government school in Bihar. He has limited familiarity with the individuals at the polling booth. Consequently, if this task relied solely on his efforts, he would not have been able to distribute the form to many individuals at the booth where the assistant is stationed.“I serve as a krishi sahayak, which entails traveling around this area to assist farmers. While we may not gain from this initiative, the booth level officers will significantly benefit from our contributions,” he added.A BLO reported that initially, the Muslim community was hesitant to complete the form, fearing it was related to the NRC. However, as the forms from the village community began to be filled out, they too have started submitting the forms without hesitation.The BLO and his assistant expressed that there were considerable challenges at the outset of this process. Nevertheless, as time has progressed, these challenges have diminished. There, however, still remains an issue with uploading the forms, and it is possible that additional block level employees may be recruited to assist solely for the purpose of uploading the forms.Representational Image. Pressure on BLO to submit as many forms as possible.Immense pressure to upload During the discussion, the BLO mentioned that no specific targets are assigned. However, there was immense pressure to upload as many forms as possible. “We must not appear to be falling behind compared to other officers. If an officer is perceived to be lagging, a serious complaint is likely to be filed against them. Each day, we are required to present data regarding the volume of uploads, which will inevitably lead to complaints. Thus, pressure is a constant factor,” he said.On speaking to one of the BLOs, it was revealed that there is no explicit directive concerning field inquiries following the release of the draft voter list. Nevertheless, the BLO is of the opinion that inquiries will be conducted for those who have submitted forms.However, the question arises: who will travel from village to village to conduct these investigations? When inquired about the advantages of this process, the response was vague. An officer indicated that the names of deceased individuals, permanent migrants, or those registered at multiple booths will be removed. It was estimated that at least 40 to 50 individuals who have passed away are still listed as voters.When questioned whether this could have been addressed earlier, and if the weeding process had not been conducted previously, he responded, “If it had been done, then why would their names still appear on the voter list?”Regarding the rationale for form submission, the BLO stated that he does not ponder much on it, as it is the responsibility of higher officials. A BLO assistant suggested that individuals lacking documentation may not be included in the draft list, or it is also possible that those who have not submitted their parents’ names from the 2003 voter list may be identified, even if they have not provided any current certificates.This article first appeared on The Wire Hindi and was translated from the Hindi original by Naushin Rehman.