BLOs Strike Over Unpaid Dues in Kukatpally and Secunderabad Cantonment
A strike by Booth Level Officers over the non-payment of honorariums has disrupted the claims and objections phase of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Kukatpally, Secunderabad Cantonment, and adjoining areas.
A majority of BLOs in these constituencies have suspended work for several days due to prolonged delays in disbursing their pending dues. Workers pointed out that payments for previous assignments, including the caste census, remain unreleased, leading to a standstill in field operations until their honorariums are cleared.
In Telangana, each BLO covers an average of 930 voters, with Hyderabad district alone accounting for around 4,000 BLOs. Due to the ongoing strike, verification hearing notices scheduled for August 26, August 28, and subsequent dates were not delivered to affected electors.
Medchal-Malkajgiri District Congress Committee Vice-President G. Raghavender stated that the Electoral Registration Officer for Kukatpally Assembly constituency has been absent from the office, leaving subordinate administrative staff unable to take corrective steps or resolve representations submitted by political parties and resident associations.
Secunderabad Cantonment MLA Narayanan Sriganesh conducted multiple meetings with BLOs to assess the situation and urged election authorities during an all-party meeting to immediately release all pending salaries and dues owed to staff deployed on election duty.
Following complaints submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer's office, authorities instructed field officials to adhere strictly to election guidelines. Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudarsan Reddy directed officials during a videoconference on Saturday to ensure every listed elector receives notice with proper acknowledgement and that the mandatory seven-day notice period is maintained.
Sudarsan Reddy further instructed BLOs to remind voters about scheduled hearings at least two days in advance and asked officials to publicise the list of prescribed documents required for submission during the hearings.
