Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Monday declined the urgent hearing plea of a Trinamool Congress leader against the decision of the Election Commission of India (EC) seeking names of Booth Level Agents (BLA) from political parties a year before the Assembly election for implementation of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll.
The bench of Justice Amrita Sinha was moved by an ex-Rajya Sabha MP of Trinamool Congress, Subhashish Chakraborty. During the mentioning, his counsel submitted that the matter challenges the seeking of names of booth level agents a year before elections.
The counsel said that the Election Commission has now sought the names of the booth-level agents from political parties since there will be implementation of the SIT
in West Bengal.
“This means the BLA names have to be submitted by political parties before the election. Our contention is that BLA is not there in the rules or laws in the Representation of People Act, 1951. It is beyond the power of EC,” it was submitted.
The counsel further submitted that it infringes the secrecy and security of BLAs of political parties. “District Magistrates, who are the district-level election officers, are constantly asking political parties to submit the BLAs,” he submitted.
When the court asked as to how it is a matter of privacy, the counsel submitted that in every polling booth political parties give an agent only seven days prior to elections as per the law. “Now, we have to disclose a booth-level agent at least one year prior to elections,” the counsel said.
With the judge pointing out that it is not just the petitioner’s political party who has been asked to submit names but all political parties, the counsel said it is but his petitioner’s political party (TMC) which has decided to assail the matter since other parties may have accepted it.
The court refused to accept the plea for urgent hearing and thus did not upgrade the matter in the list.