As the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list begins across West Bengal, discontent is brewing among the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) — the ground-level workforce responsible for verifying voter information. The dissatisfaction came to light during the training session at Nazrul Mancha on Saturday, where several BLOs raised strong objections over their workload and lack of security measures.
According sources, when the Election Commission (EC) officials were conducting the training, BLOs broke into protest, alleging that the EC was “unconcerned about their safety” despite the increasing political tension surrounding the SIR process. They also complained that performing SIR duties after completing their regular school work was proving to be “highly stressful and physically exhausting.”
Many BLOs claimed that while they were assigned to voter list duties, they were still being marked as absent in their respective schools. “We are on official duty as per the Election Commission’s order, yet we are shown absent. This is completely unfair,” one officer remarked.
The EC, however, has clarified that BLOs are considered to be on duty during the SIR phase and urged all institutions to cooperate. The Commission has also stated that the purpose of this exercise is to ensure a clean and accurate electoral roll, free from errors and duplication.
Training sessions for BLOs are being conducted across the state from October 28 to November 3. On Saturday, two other major camps were held in Kolkata — one at Derozio Hall, College Street, and another at Jessop Building, where sessions were divided into morning and afternoon batches. BLOs from Chowringhee, Beleghata, and Jorasanko attended the first session from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., while those from Entali, Shyampukur, and Kashipur-Belgachia joined the second from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. A separate training was organised for Maniktala officers at Jessop Building’s third-floor conference hall.
During the sessions, BLOs were trained on how to collect voter data door-to-door and upload the details using a dedicated Election Commission app. The SIR forms, which have already been downloaded and are being printed, are expected to be distributed to all BLOs by November 3. Door-to-door verification will officially begin on November 4.
The EC explained that the training process is multi-tiered — beginning at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), then passed down through District Electoral Officers (DEOs) and Assistant Electoral Officers (AEROs), before reaching BLO supervisors and field-level workers.
Officials also highlighted that a similar SIR process in Bihar led to the removal of nearly 30 lakh invalid voters from the electoral rolls. West Bengal’s ongoing revision aims to achieve the same — eliminating the names of deceased individuals, duplicate entries, and those registered in other states.
Also read: TMC to hold rally in Kolkata on Nov 4 against SIR drive
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