Bhadrak: A Booth Level Officer (BLO) has been suspended with immediate effect for failing to cooperate with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR)-2026 electoral exercise, the Bhadrak district administration said.
Bhadrak Collector and District Election Officer Dilip Routrai ordered the suspension of assistant teacher Sapan Kumar Nayak citing serious negligence, non-cooperation in his SIR duties and obstruction of the electoral process. Nayak, who works at PSS Nodal High School in Chakradharabindha, had been assigned responsibilities as the BLO for the newly created Booth No. 29 in Malapur, under the 47-Chandbali Assembly constituency, officials said.
To carry out the SIR 2026 exercise, BLOs are required to register on the ERONET platform and activate the BLO app using their EPIC details and a one-time password (OTP). Officials said Nayak had failed to provide the required EPIC details and OTP needed to complete this process. Despite repeated directions from the District Election Office and other concerned officers, Nayak did not cooperate, according to the administration.
A showcause notice was subsequently issued to him, but he still failed to furnish the necessary information, officials said. As a result, the creation of his BLO app identity and the valid conduct of the SIR-2026 electoral process were seriously disrupted, prompting the complaint against him.
During the suspension period, Nayak’s headquarters will be fixed at the office of the Bhadrak District Education Officer, and he will not be permitted to leave the headquarters without prior approval, the administration said. The district administration said negligence and non-cooperation in electoral work would not be tolerated under any circumstances.