The Election Commission of India (ECI) has rolled out a significant update to its specialized mobile application for Booth Level Officers (BLOs), introducing a new module named "Mark VIP." This feature, implemented during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 16 states and three Union territories, allows BLOs to digitally tag high-profile electors.
The strategic addition comes after several prominent figures, including Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, and Election Commissioner SS Sandhu, received logical discrepancy notices during a Delhi drive. The new digital tool is designed to address such issues by ensuring streamlined processing for these key individuals.
How the 'Mark VIP' Feature Works
The 'Mark VIP' feature integrates a multi-tier digital tagging and workflow tracking mechanism within the BLO App:
- Digital Flagging: During house-to-house verification visits, BLOs can digitally tag an elector as a VIP, marking their profile with an asterisk in the electoral database.
- Multi-Tier Vetting: Once tagged, the recommendation undergoes a digital review process, first by the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) and Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), and subsequently by the Chief Electoral Officer's office.
- Automatic Roll Inclusion: The tagging ensures that high-profile individuals—such as Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), constitutional officeholders, judges, civil servants, and prominent figures in arts, sports, and journalism—are automatically included in the draft electoral rolls, even if they haven't submitted enumeration forms.
- Priority Processing & Hearing Exemption: This feature prioritizes the processing of VIP forms to prevent accidental omissions. It also spares tagged individuals from physically attending hearing centers when discrepancy notices or claims are filed, providing structured facilitation instead.
While provisions to identify VIP voters have existed in the ECI manual since 2018, integrating this designated tag directly into the digital BLO App fundamentally changes operational processing on the ground. An official from the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer's office confirmed that local authorities cannot alter the software directly, with orders coming from the commission.
It is important to note that being flagged as a VIP elector does not confer immunity from claim and objection proceedings. The designation primarily serves to streamline administrative workflows and prevent technical deletions, while still facilitating necessary document verification.