Minister Sudin Dhavalikar has reaffirmed that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) bear the primary responsibility for incidents of “vote chori” (electoral fraud at the booth level), stating, “Booth level officers hold primary responsibility for such incidents; they are the ones who have to look into it. I cannot blame the Election Commission.”
Dhavalikar emphasized that preventing and addressing electoral irregularities is the direct duty of BLOs, who work at the grassroots of the election process. These officers are responsible for maintaining accurate and updated electoral rolls, verifying voters, and ensuring that polling station procedures are conducted fairly and transparently. By making this clear, the minister shifted accountability away from the Election Commission, placing the onus for any malpractice on the officials managing booths on the ground.
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He also suggested that tackling “vote chori” calls for stricter monitoring, better training, and firm action against any BLOs found to be negligent or involved in wrongdoing. Framing the issue as a localized problem rather than a systemic failure, Dhavalikar’s stance may lead to reform efforts focused on improving performance and accountability at the booth level instead of broad changes to overall electoral governance.
