The BLO, Sajjad Ali Qureshi, in charge of Part 49 under Ward 29 of the Beleghata Assembly constituency, has been accused of being inefficient and lacking basic technical skills. Reports allege that he failed to perform his duties properly and misbehaved with election officials. Despite being served two show-cause notices, he did not respond. Following repeated complaints, the Election Commission has now appointed an assistant BLO to support operations in the area.
According to the allegations, even after being issued two show-cause notices by the ERO of 164-Beleghata Assembly constituency, BLO Sajjad Ali Qureshi did not respond. Therefore, the Commission has appointed Akib Parvez as an assistant BLO to assist him.
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There are 1,399 voters in Part 49 of this ward. However, additional BLO Akib Parvez stated that although enumeration forms began to be distributed from November 4, most residents have still not received their forms. Allegedly, the responsible BLO failed to deliver the forms door-to-door. Local voter Vishal Riaz said, “People in other areas have already received their forms, but not in our area. We can’t even contact the BLO.”
When Ei Samay Online tried to reach the BLO for comment, he refused to speak upon learning it was the media. Additional BLO Akib Parvez said, “There were several complaints against the BLO, so the office sent me. I spoke to him on Tuesday. His first question was - Who appointed me? When I showed him the appointment papers, he said, "These have no value." He told Parvez to submit all the forms he had collected. He replied to that, "My supervisor assigned me this work, why should I hand it over? I informed my office about everything. I also requested an ID card with my photo to make my work easier.”
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He further stated that as of November 9, the form distribution rate was still quite low, though it improved after the arrival of the additional BLO. However, he also mentioned that since his name is not listed as a BLO, he faces difficulty in proving his identity while visiting households. As a result, he has to show the appointment letter issued by the ERO to verify his role.
When Ei Samay Online contacted the accused BLO for a response, he did not comment. Even calls from the supervisor and the additional BLO reportedly failed to reach him.
