The Election Commission of India (ECI) has added a new ‘Mark VIP’ feature to the app used by booth level officers (BLOs) during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, allowing officials to flag certain voters during the verification process.
The feature was added to the BLO App in late July, with the Apple App Store recording an update on July 31 carrying the description “mark VIP elector related changes”, reported Hindustan Times. The app’s version history also records the feature under an August 4 update.
Officials in Delhi’s chief electoral officer’s office said the app was updated on July 30. “The CEO office cannot make any changes to the apps or the software. Orders come directly from the commission,” an official told HT.
Feature introduced during SIR
The update came while SIR was underway in multiple states and Union territories. BLOs in Delhi and Haryana confirmed that the module was available on their apps, while a BLO association member in West Bengal said the feature was not part of the app when SIR was conducted there in 2025.
“The ‘Mark VIP’ feature wasn’t included in the BLO app in 2025 when SIR was held in West Bengal. It was introduced more than a month ago. It helps the BLO to mark the person as VIP during verification,” the member said.
The development comes as the handling of prominent voters in Delhi has attracted attention after several high-profile people received logical discrepancy notices.
VIP marking already exists in EC rules
The provision for identifying certain electors as “marked electors” predates the new app feature. The Election Commission’s electoral-roll manual provides for such marking for categories including MPs, MLAs and MLCs, holders of declared offices, and personalities from fields such as arts, culture, journalism and sports, along with members of the judiciary and public services.
In Delhi, an official said the list of VIP electors has about 3,000 names.
The rules provide for such electors to be included in the draft roll, but they can still face claims, objections or notices during the revision process.
How the new feature works
A senior New Delhi district official described the app feature as a way of consolidating the identification process.
“The feature ‘Mark VIP’ is like a consolidation exercise. Once a BLO marks an elector as VIP with an asterisk after visiting the residence of a voter, it is vetted by the AERO and ERO and subsequently by the office of the chief electoral officer, Delhi,” the official said.
Another official said BLOs have traditionally been given lists of VIP voters to help facilitate them during elections.
“This has been done to ensure that we can facilitate them during the time of elections,” the official said.
The new system therefore adds a digital mechanism for identifying such electors, while the existing rules continue to require scrutiny of their electoral status.