ECI holds meeting with booth level agents ahead of Bihar polls

The Election Commission of India on Wednesday commenced the training of booth level agents from Bihar in view of the forthcoming assembly elections in the state.

Around 280 booth level agents (BLAs) from the state associated with 10 recognised political parties are taking part in the two-day training programme being organised at the India International Institute for Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi.

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Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, addressed the BLAs in a first-of-its-kind training programme.

The training was conceptualised during the Chief Electoral Officers (CEO) conference held on 4 March.

The Commission underscored the importance of BLAs in the election processes and asserted that the training programme would help them fulfil their responsibilities as delineated in the Representation of People act, 1950 and 1951, Registration of Elector Rules 1960, Conduct of Election Rules 1961 and the manuals, guidelines and instructions issued by ECI from time to time.

The BLAs were given an overview of their appointment, roles, and responsibilities as per the legal framework. The training programme familiarize them with various aspects of the election processes, including the preparation, updation and revision of electoral rolls and the associated forms and formats.

BLAs are appointed by recognized political parties and play an important role in ensuring error-free electoral rolls as per the provisions of the RP Act, 1950. The BLAs were also trained in the use of the provision of first and second appeals under sections 24(a) and 24(b) of the RP Act 1950 in case they are aggrieved by the final electoral rolls as published.