MUMBAI, Dec. 27 -- Despite education minister Dada Bhuse's request to the chief minister to keep older and physically disabled teachers away from election duty on Wednesday, the Election Commission (EC) is continuing to depute teachers from this demographic as Booth Level Officers (BLOs). In the existing system, BLOs are supposed to visit various schools to drop the election orders for teachers who are required to be on election duty on the day of polls. In the present scenario, teachers' organisations have demanded that those above 54, pregnant women, and those facing medical or other serious difficulties, be kept away from such duties. But this does not bear out on the ground. A 57-year-old teacher from Borivali, who did not wish to be named, said that she was assigned to visit 39 schools in person by a returning officer on Thursday. "I booked an auto rickshaw for the entire day and paid Rs.1,500 from my own pocket. Given the distance and traffic, I could visit only 19 schools; and by the end of the day suffered a vertigo attack which required strong medication," she said. Another teacher from a Jogeshwari-based school, Hitendra Choudhari, who had suffered a brain stroke in 2024 and is paralysed on the left side, has been asked to remain available full-time, despite being placed on the reserve staff category after his request. "I had submitted my medical certificate before my duty was assigned. Despite that I have been put on election duty," said the 57-year-old. Sunil Baviskar, 42, a teacher from Khar who is 71 percent disabled, is also struggling with duty assigned by the EC. "My school had submitted my disability certificates to the election office. Despite this, I received the duty order. I am now requesting the EC to grant me relaxation," Baviskar said. Taking note of these issues, MLA from the Mumbai teachers constituency J M Abhyankar dashed off a letter to BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani on Thursday, requesting teachers above 54 years of age, pregnant women and those with medical conditions not be assigned election duty. In his letter, which HT has seen, he wrote, "Teachers play an extremely important role in the election process, and it is necessary to treat them humanely." Carrying forward the thought, Tanaji Kamble, president of the Maharashtra Progressive Teachers Union, demanded separate arrangements for teachers seeking exemption from election duty for genuine reasons, following which the BMC has set up a separate help desk at its election office in Masjid Bunder. A senior EC official said: "Teachers can apply for relaxation. If they meet the required criteria, they will be granted exemption."...