CHENNAI: With 2.11 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of political parties for 68,467 polling booths, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of BLAs among the 12 states/union territories that are going for Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, as per data furnished by the Election Commission of India.
This is despite the state having only the third-highest number of electors and polling stations among these 12 states/UTs, which includes more populous states like Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Officials and representatives of political parties in Tamil Nadu attributed this to the increased awareness among the parties in the state regarding the importance of having BLAs.
UP, the most populous state, with 15.4 crore voters and 1.62 lakh polling stations, had only 1.92 lakh BLAs, compared to TN’s 2.11 lakh BLAs for 6.4 crore voters and 68,467 polling stations.
A senior official said this is because of the increased awareness and the regular interactions the office of the Chief Electoral Officer has with them, urging them to appoint BLAs. “Most major parties have completed the appointment of BLAs, and the smaller ones are in the process of appointing them. The number of BLAs in TN is likely to go up to 2.5 lakh within a few months as the Assembly polls are nearing,” the official said.
Acknowledging that the high number of BLAs can be attributed to the political awareness in the state, VCK general secretary and MP D Ravikumar told the TNIE that this can also be attributed to the “BJP’s machinations”.
He argued that after the incorporation of many technological advancements in the election process, the role of the BLA has become crucial. “Apart from ensuring that the voters come to the polling booths, BLAs are responsible for checking whether the EVMs are intact, preventing irregularities, checking the CCTVs and staying back in the booth till polling is over and noting down the number of votes polled,” he said.
“The two Dravidian majors — DMK and AIADMK — have the infrastructure to appoint BLAs in all polling booths, and they are doing so. The ECI will train the BLAs regarding official procedure. But how these procedures can be jeopardised — the practical difficulties anticipated at the polling booth — can only be inculcated by the political parties themselves,” Ravikumar said.
He added that the DMK has been providing elaborate training to their party functionaries. “It should also give training to the BLAs of the alliance parties,” the MP said.
Echoing a similar sentiment, former CPI state secretary R Mutharasan told the TNIE that the two Dravidian majors in particular have always been vigilant about the election process and the appointment of BLAs.
