‘Mezbaan’ BLOs to help dist admin ramp up turnout

1,544 polling stations and 3,768 booths span across Lucknow and Mohanlalganj Lok Sabha constituencies

On May 20, when elections are due in the state capital, booth-level officers (BLOs) are all set to don the role of ‘mezbaan’ or ideal hosts and treat every voter who come to polling booths as their ‘mehmaan’ or guests.

A team of more than 4,000 BLOs is poised to furnish real-time updates on the day of voting on an official mobile application, offering comprehensive insights into the electoral happenings on every polling booth. (For representation)

With 1,544 polling stations and 3,768 booths spanning across Lucknow and Mohanlalganj Lok Sabha constituencies, BLOs will be a key arsenal in the administration’s machinery to increase the polling percentage. Each BLO has been assigned the responsibility to update the status of polling booth booths on a website from morning till the end of voting.

“BLOs are primed to assume a pivotal role in the distribution of voter slips, thereby facilitating their integration into the electoral process. BLOs are being entrusted with the responsibility to ramp up the voting percentage this time,” divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob said.

A team of more than 4,000 BLOs is poised to furnish real-time updates on the day of voting on an official mobile application, offering comprehensive insights into the electoral happenings on every polling booth.

The ‘BLO Mitra’ platform will enable the BLOs to consistently update queue status from their respective polling stations. This empowers voters to assess queue lengths remotely who can use the information to cast their vote when they want to on the voting day.

District magistrate Surya Pal Gangwar has directed that all BLOs receive comprehensive training to execute their duties with precision. “Each BLO has been entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining real-time updates on polling booth statuses on the website, from the crack of dawn until the cessation of voting activities,” he said.

Jacob, who was at HT’s office for HT Spotlight on May 1, had spoken about the role of BLOs, who would be playing ‘mezbaan’ to voters, during the elections. The BLOs would be going house to house and door to door for distribution of voters slips, which would be an initiation for the residents to come to booths and vote, she had said.