UP, Dec 03 : The Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise continues to create ripples across the country, but political parties in Uttar Pradesh are struggling to appoint sufficient Booth Level Agents (BLAs) a key requirement for smooth voter verification.
Officials say that despite the gaps, 85% of UP’s 15.44 crore voter enumeration forms have been digitised so far.
Congress Missing in 17 Districts; SP, BSP, BJP Also Show Major Gaps
According to officials, the Congress—one of the country’s oldest political parties—has no BLAs in 17 districts of the state, including Ambedkar Nagar, Ballia, Saharanpur, and Prayagraj. Nearly 70% of booths lack a single Congress BLA.
The Samajwadi Party has failed to deploy any BLA in Rampur, the stronghold of Mohammad Azam Khan, while the Bahujan Samaj Party has no BLA in Kanpur Nagar.
Even the ruling BJP, which boasts the largest organisation in the state, is missing BLAs at 2,643 booths, largely in minority-dominated pockets.
Why BLAs Matter in SIR
After Booth Level Officers (BLOs), BLAs act as political parties’ most critical liaison in the voter-list verification process.
Political observers note that during Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, BLAs play vital roles—from booth preparation to ensuring voter turnout. Strong booth management often translates into favourable electoral outcomes.
EC Seeks Lists, Parties Fail to Comply
UP Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa confirmed that parties were repeatedly urged to submit their BLA lists for efficient SIR functioning.
Despite prior meetings and assurances, most parties failed to meet deployment expectations.
Current BLA Count Across Parties
As per Election Commission data, political parties have jointly appointed 4,91,115 BLAs for 1,62,486 booths in UP.
BJP: 1,59,843
SP: 1,42,121
BSP: 1,38,681
Congress: 49,121
Apna Dal (S): 1,056
CPI(M): 208
AAP: 85
Congress Vows to Improve Before Deadline
UP Congress chief Ajay Rai said the party would deploy BLAs at 95% of booths before December 11, the last date for voters to submit SIR enumeration forms.
District-Level Breakdown
Congress has fewer than 100 BLAs in several districts including:
Sonbhadra (70)
Kushinagar (80)
Hapur (93)
Fatehpur (83)
Etawah (35)
The BSP has deployed BLAs at 85.34% of booths statewide.
SP covers 87.46% of booths but remains absent in Rampur.
BJP, despite its organisational strength, has gaps across 2,643 booths.
Allies Also Lag Behind
Except for Apna Dal (S), NDA partners—including RLD, SBSP, NISHAD Party and Jansatta Party—have not appointed a single BLA for the SIR.