Election Commision NEW DELHI: EC, which is reeling under allegations of faultlines among its members, is now being questioned over a software update recently made in the application used by booth level officers, with its description on the Apple app store reading “mark VIP elector-related changes”.EC sources told TOI Friday the instruction to BLOs on “flagging of marked electors” was a standard instruction, which was part of all three special intensive revision orders approved by the commission.The instruction to field officers to “mark” prominent electors in their jurisdictional areas has figured in EC’s instructions for all special summary revisions, well before SIR was conceived, they said. For instance, Para 20 of the SSR exercise ordered by EC on May 29, 2023, with Jan 1, 2024, as the qualifying date, directed the “flagging of marked electors, viz MP/MLA/MLC, holders of declared offices and personalities from fields of arts, culture, journalism, sports, members of judiciary and public services, etc”. Para 21 said the electoral registration officers were to ensure that the names were in the proposed draft roll.The same instruction was reiterated in the SIR order for Bihar dated June 24, 2025, and the orders for SIR Phase 2 and 3.Nowhere in the SIR or SSR instructions has the terminology ‘VIP’ been used. “It somehow made it to the app description,” an officer said. EC officials said the BLO app software update was meant to help such prominent persons “marked” in the electoral database by flagging any notices served and enabling the proof furnished by them to be uploaded on the app without delay.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesMeanwhile, EC sources said the postponement of the electoral literacy club conferences in UP had nothing to do with the row and the decision was made on Sept 21.On reports alleging annual confidential reports were held up due to differences between commission members, EC officials said such delays were not unusual. TOI has further learnt there have been few full commission meetings in the past few months.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorBharti JainBharti Jain is senior editor with The Times of India, New Delhi. She has been writing on security matters since 1996. Having covered the Union home ministry, security agencies, Election Commission and the ‘prime’ political beat, the Congress, for The Economic Times all these years, she moved to TOI in August 2012. Her repertoire of news stories delves into the whole gamut of issues related to terrorism and internal strife, besides probing strategic affairs in India’s neighbourhood.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘A Terrorist Country Asking Me That Question’: Jaishankar’s Sharp Reply To Pak Journalist At UN’SIR’ Under Fire? IIT-Bombay, Election Commission Face Accountability Questions | PrasangMassive Protest Erupts At Delhi’s Jantar Mantar Against Gyanesh Kumar Over EC-SIR RowUAPA ‘Missing’: What Allowed VanDyke, 6 Ukrainians To Leave India? The Legal Gap Explained‘Made In UP’ Missiles Giving Pakistan Sleepless Nights: Amit Shah On BrahMosOmar Abdullah Moves Full Statehood Resolution In J&K Assembly, BJP Protest Sparks House UproarThird Bihar Harassment Case In A Week: Minor Girl Targeted In Banka, Video Surfaces’You Cannot Keep Playing’: CJP’s Dipke Challenges Opposition Over Alleged Election Rigging“Terror, Theatrics Won’t Repay Loans”: India Hits Back At Pakistan At UNHRCBJP’s ₹529 Crore Poll Spending Revealed; Bengal Alone Accounted For ₹287 Crore, EC Data Shows123Hot PicksWeather tomorrowBank strikeNEET PG ResultGold Rate TodayOctober 2026 School HolidaysTN programmePunjab school holidayMadurantakam bypollDr MonishCBSE Date SheetTop TrendingAsian Games Medal TallyRahul GandhiPowerball JackpotDelhi Hit and RunUP EncounterDonald TrumpPM ModiNaomi OsakaJoe ThomasSupreme Court
NEW DELHI: EC, which is reeling under allegations of faultlines among its members, is now being questioned over a software update recently made in the application used by booth level officers, with its description on the Apple app store reading “mark VIP elector-related changes”.EC sources told TOI Friday the instruction to BLOs on “flagging of marked electors” was a standard instruction, which was part of all three special intensive revision orders approved by the commission.The instruction to field officers to “mark” prominent electors in their jurisdictional areas has figured in EC’s instructions for all special summary revisions, well before SIR was conceived, they said. For instance, Para 20 of the SSR exercise ordered by EC on May 29, 2023, with Jan 1, 2024, as the qualifying date, directed the “flagging of marked electors, viz MP/MLA/MLC, holders of declared offices and personalities from fields of arts, culture, journalism, sports, members of judiciary and public services, etc”. Para 21 said the electoral registration officers were to ensure that the names were in the proposed draft roll.The same instruction was reiterated in the SIR order for Bihar dated June 24, 2025, and the orders for SIR Phase 2 and 3.Nowhere in the SIR or SSR instructions has the terminology ‘VIP’ been used. “It somehow made it to the app description,” an officer said. EC officials said the BLO app software update was meant to help such prominent persons “marked” in the electoral database by flagging any notices served and enabling the proof furnished by them to be uploaded on the app without delay.
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Meanwhile, EC sources said the postponement of the electoral literacy club conferences in UP had nothing to do with the row and the decision was made on Sept 21.On reports alleging annual confidential reports were held up due to differences between commission members, EC officials said such delays were not unusual. TOI has further learnt there have been few full commission meetings in the past few months.
