It is BLO’s duty to visit electors, says Pune Deputy Collector after SIR verification complaints

4 min readPuneUpdated: Jul 10, 2026 07:45 PM IST

A Booth Level Officer carries out voter verification during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Pune. (Express Photo by Soham Shah)

Complaints from citizens that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are asking them to travel to designated locations for voter verification under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls have prompted the Pune district election office to reiterate that BLOs are required to visit electors at their residences.

“The SIR does not require electors to run from pillar to post to prove their eligibility. It is the duty of the BLO to visit the elector’s residence and complete the process,” said Deputy Collector Minal Kalaskar, who is also serving as the Deputy District Election Officer in Pune.

Explaining the prescribed procedure, Kalaskar said BLOs are required to visit every household and distribute duplicate copies of the Enumeration Form containing the pre-printed details of existing electors. They are expected to guide voters in filling up the forms.

“If a house is found locked during the visit, the BLO should leave the Enumeration Form and make at least three attempts to collect the filled forms. Each elector has to submit the form along with the required self-attested documents. The BLO is required to retain one copy and provide an acknowledgement on the second copy to the applicant,” she said.

Despite these instructions, some residents said they had been asked to visit BLO offices instead.

“I am a resident of Manik Baug on Sinhagad Road. I received a call from the BLO asking me to visit his office at Shivane, beyond Warje, with my documents for verification,” said 55-year-old Sunil Kulkarni.

Kulkarni said travelling to the office was difficult because of his work schedule.

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“I leave early in the morning and return only in the evening. I informed the BLO about this, but was told that if I did not complete the verification, I would lose my voting rights,” he said.

Responding to complaints that BLOs were calling electors to their offices instead of conducting house visits, Kalaskar said the practice could be linked to the tight timeline for completing the SIR exercise.

“The district election office reviews the work of BLOs every day. Continuous rain has affected field work, and they have targets to complete verification of a large number of electors. To make up for the time lost due to rain, some may be trying to complete the process at one location. However, they are required to visit the houses of electors for verification,” she said.

She added that with the rain easing, BLOs would return to field visits and fresh instructions would be issued to ensure the prescribed procedure is followed.

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In Vadgaon Budruk, BJP corporator Haridas Charwad appealed to residents to complete the SIR process and not take it lightly, saying it could affect their voting rights.

“The Enumeration Form is being delivered to your doorstep or is available with the BLO of your area. Fill up the form and submit the required documents to avoid having to make repeated visits to government offices later,” he said, adding that BLOs in the area had been asked to operate from Shewantabai Dangat School.

However, residents alleged that the BLOs were often unavailable even at the designated location. They said staff at the school informed them that the concerned BLO was working elsewhere and would only be available later in the day, rather than during regular working hours.

“I spent hours at the BLO office, but there was a lot of confusion and I had to return without completing the process. If this is how the exercise is going to be conducted, many voters may stay away from it,” said Rekha Kadam, a resident of Vadgaon Budruk.

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Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, Pune. With over 22 years of experience in the industry, he is a highly specialized journalist whose work focuses on the intersection of urban infrastructure, governance, and sustainability.

Professional Background

Role: As Assistant Editor, he plays a key role in the editorial direction of the Pune bureau, specializing in urban policy and its direct impact on citizens.

Education: He holds a Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a PG Diploma in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He also studied at the prestigious Fergusson College.

Impactful Reporting: He is credited with research-based articles on conservancy staff (waste workers) that influenced national policy for better working conditions. He is also known for exposing the contrast between high-end infrastructure (like helipads for leaders) and the lack of basic amenities like schools in their home districts.

Personal Interests: An avid trekker and sports enthusiast, his personal interest in the outdoors often informs his reporting on environmental protection and sustainable development.

Recent Notable Articles (December 2025)

His reporting in late 2025 has been dominated by the upcoming January 2026 Civic Polls in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and the city's infrastructure boom:

1. Political Analysis (Civic Elections 2026)

"Not friendly but a bitter fight lies ahead between BJP and NCP for PMC, PCMC" (Dec 22, 2025): A detailed look at the intense rivalry between the Mahayuti partners as they prepare for the January 15 municipal elections.

"Pune civic polls: Big blow to NCP, NCP(SP) as leaders switch to BJP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on high-profile poaching and party-hopping ahead of the elections.

"Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): Analyzing the results of the local self-government body elections as a precursor to the main civic polls.

2. Infrastructure & Urban Development

"Looking Ahead at 2026: Pune to see inauguration of much-awaited Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar metro route" (Dec 22, 2025): An "outlook" piece on the critical Metro Line 3 project expected to finish by March 2026.

"Building Pune: PMC to construct double-decker bridge over Mula-Mutha River" (Dec 18, 2025): Detailing a major project aimed at easing traffic between Hadapsar and Kharadi.

"Condition of highway from Pune to Kolhapur to improve in a year: Gadkari" (Dec 4, 2025): Reporting on the Union Minister’s assurances regarding one of the state's most critical transport corridors.

3. Civic Governance & Environment

"Install sensors, LED indicators at construction sites within 15 days: PMC to builders" (Dec 16, 2025): A follow-up to the "Breathless Pune" series, reporting on new mandates for builders to monitor air quality in real-time.

"Errors in electoral rolls: PMC corrects data of 92,466 voters" (Dec 16, 2025): Tracking the administrative efforts to clean up the voter lists before the 2026 elections.

Signature Style

Ajay Jadhav is known for accountability journalism. His work often bridges the gap between high-level policy and the "ground zero" reality of Pune's residents. He is particularly focused on Sustainable Development, ensuring that as Pune grows into a "Bharat Mandapam" style destination (referring to his report on the Lohegaon project), its environmental and social safeguards remain intact.

X (Twitter): @ajay_khape ... Read More

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