ECI doubles pay for Booth Level Officers; incentives for supervisors, EROs, and AEROs announced

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced a major hike in remuneration for Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and other election staff involved in preparing and maintaining electoral rolls.

Under the new decision:

• BLOs’ annual pay has been doubled from ₹6,000 to ₹12,000.
• Incentives for BLOs for electoral roll revision have increased from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000.
• BLO Supervisors’ pay has been raised from ₹12,000 to ₹18,000.
• Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) will now receive ₹25,000, while Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will get ₹30,000, marking the first-ever honorarium for these posts.

Additionally, a special incentive of ₹6,000 has been approved for BLOs participating in Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercises, starting with Bihar.

In a statement, the Commission said, “Pure electoral rolls are the bedrock of democracy. The electoral roll machinery, consisting of Electoral Registration Officers (EROS), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROS), BLO Supervisors and Booth Level Officers (BLOs), do a lot of hard work and play a pivotal role in preparation of impartial and transparent electoral rolls.”

The last such revision of BLO pay was done in 2015. The Commission stressed that this move reflects its commitment to adequately compensate field-level election personnel, who often work under challenging conditions to ensure accurate electoral rolls and assist voters.

The announcement comes amid growing concerns over stress and mental health among BLOs in some states, with reports of burnout and tragic suicides in recent months.