Kolkata, Sep 19 (NationPress) The office of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has issued a warning to all senior officials engaged in the electoral process at the district level to remain vigilant against the unintended inclusion of state government employees as booth level officers (BLOs) who also serve as office-bearers in various political parties.

According to sources within the CEO’s office, this advisory was prompted by a recent incident involving a temporary state employee affiliated with the ruling Trinamool Congress who was improperly listed as a BLO in the district.

The Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, brought this issue to light on Thursday, citing a specific case of a ruling party office-holder in the North 24 Parganas district whose name was included in the BLO list.

Adhikari pointed out that Ramesh Chandra Das, the Trinamool Congress Anchal President of Hasnabad Gram Panchayat in North 24 Parganas, was appointed as the Booth Level Officer (BLO) for Booth No. 20, despite being a temporary assistant teacher in a state-run school.

According to the LoP, this appointment violated regulations on two fronts: the individual was a temporary state employee and simultaneously held a position within the ruling party.

The Election Commission of India has taken a firm stance against the selection of temporary personnel as BLOs this time around.

Adhikari also emphasized that the appointment of Ramesh Chandra Das as the BLO disregarded the qualifications of other permanent teachers in the same booth.

This incident, according to Adhikari, illustrates a clear case of political bias where a Trinamool Congress member was unreasonably favored for this significant role.

In response to the situation highlighted by the LoP, the CEO’s office has become alert to the possibility that this may not be an isolated case, and similar inadvertent inclusions of temporary state employees or political party office-bearers in the BLO lists could have occurred.

Thus, the CEO’s office has instructed district-level administrations to be cautious of such inadvertent inclusions and to identify and remove any already made from the BLO lists.

“The ECI must ensure that impartial and qualified individuals are appointed as BLOs to maintain the integrity of our electoral system,” Adhikari stated.