BLOs to march in Kolkata today over heavy SIR workload

An organisation of booth-level officers at the heart of West Bengal’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is poised to take to the streets on Monday, launching a march through Kolkata to protest what they describe as crushing workloads and deep-rooted “systemic lapses” in the process.

The BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee, which represents these ground-level electoral workers, plans to submit a detailed representation to the Election Commission, a functionary said. Since the SIR exercise began, BLOs across the state have reportedly been labouring under “unprecedented and inhuman pressure,” with many alleging that tasks normally requiring more than two years are now being demanded within a matter of weeks.

Their march, set to begin at historic College Square in north Kolkata, will wind its way to the office of the chief electoral officer in the city’s central district. The committee has called for immediate intervention from the Election Commission, seeking corrective measures to ease workloads and address logistical bottlenecks.

Support is expected to swell as para-teachers, college professors, and schoolteachers from various organisations prepare to join the procession, lending strength to the growing chorus calling for reform.

The SIR’s house-to-house verification drive, which began on 4 November, is set to continue until 4 December, with the draft rolls scheduled for publication on 9 December. But beneath the administrative timelines lie graver concerns: committee members claim that intense stress has already triggered multiple cases of illness and, tragically, at least two BLO suicides.

With frustration mounting, the committee has warned that if deadlines are not extended or longstanding issues addressed, they will escalate their movement into a continuous agitation.

Meanwhile, another group, the BLO Oikya Mancha, has raised alarm over problems plaguing the digitisation of enumeration forms and has urged authorities to deploy additional support staff — underscoring the growing sense of distress among those tasked with safeguarding the electoral process at its most fundamental level.

With PTI inputs