ECI introduces 'Mark VIP' feature on BLO app amid SIR
What's the story
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has introduced a new feature called "Mark VIP" on the booth-level officers' (BLOs) app, Hindustan Times reported. The update was made during the ongoing special intensive revision exercise (SIR) across 16 states and three Union Territories. The app, known as the BLO App, was updated on July 30 with this new feature. However, no changes were recorded on Android's Google Play Store at that time.
Feature details
Feature introduced to help BLOs identify, mark VIPs
The "Mark VIP" feature was introduced to help BLOs identify and mark certain voters as VIPs during verification, the report stated, citing an anonymous member of the BLO association in West Bengal.
This is in line with existing ECI rules that have allowed for the identification of VIP voters since 2018.
In Delhi, there are about 3,000 such electors on the list.
Voter management
Marked electors flagged in electoral database
Another anonymous senior official from New Delhi district was quoted as explaining that once a BLO marks an elector as VIP, it is vetted by several authorities, including the AERO and ERO, before being vetted by the chief electoral officer's office in Delhi.
The ECI's March 2023 Manual on Electoral Rolls allows for "marked electors" to be flagged in the electoral database. This includes MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and other prominent personalities.
Official silence
Controversy surrounds decision during revision exercise
While these VIP voters are added to draft rolls automatically, they aren't exempt from notices or claims.
The introduction of this feature comes amid a controversy over VIP voters in Delhi who received logical discrepancy notices.
The ECI has not yet commented on the introduction of this feature and its authority.
The decision has raised eyebrows, especially since it was implemented during an active revision exercise, where several prominent people were sent logical discrepancy notices.
Notices issued
Prominent names who have been issued notices
Those on the list who have been issued a notice include Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former deputy prime minister LK Advani, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, and election commissioner SS Sandhu.
Despite the controversy, officials maintain that this has been done to ensure that VIP voters will be facilitated during the time of elections.