Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Ratan U Kelkar on Wednesday directed all Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to urgently convene meetings with Booth Level Agents (BLAs) nominated by recognised political parties to ensure accuracy and transparency in SIR exercise.

In a statement, he lauded the BLOs across the state for their exemplary work in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.

The CEO's remarks came at a time when Kerala has been witnessing an intense row over the suicide of a BLO allegedly due to work strain.

Aneesh George, 44, a BLO in Payyannur, Kannur, was found hanging at his house on Sunday.

Family members and local residents had alleged that he took the extreme step because of work-related pressure linked to the SIR exercise.

Khelkar said the dedicated field efforts of BLOs play a vital role in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the state's voter list.

He highlighted the tireless work done by BLOs, particularly in identifying and reporting "untraceable forms", cases in which the voter's presence or residence could not be verified. These include categories such as shifted voters, deceased voters, and duplicate entries, the statement further said.

According to the CEO, a total of 51,085 forms have so far been placed under the untraceable category, accounting for about 0.18 per cent of the total voters undergoing re-verification.

He clarified that this figure may increase as many BLOs are yet to complete digitisation of their data.

To enhance transparency and avoid future complaints, Kelkar directed all BLOs to urgently convene meetings with Booth Level Agents nominated by recognised political parties.

He urged all political parties to actively participate in these meetings to strengthen the democratic process by ensuring an accurate and error-free electoral roll.

PTI