Mamata urges BLOs not to take any extreme steps

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday (November 26, 2025) urged Booth Level Officers (BLOs) not to resort to suicide and take to extreme steps amid the rising concerns of work pressure. This came after three BLOs died in the State amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

“You should not die by suicide because life is very precious, yet they have no mercy and it took 48 hours just to meet the BLOs and listen to them,” Ms. Banerjee said during a public address.

The Chief Minister cited the deaths of BLOs in other States, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala. BLOs were dying everywhere, the Trinamool Congress chairperson claimed.

“Their demands are justified. They had to wait 48 hours just to get an audience with the Chief Electoral Officer [CEO] to make their grievances heard. To listen to these basic demands, did they need so much time? Why do they have so much pride?” Ms. Banerjee asked. She came down heavily on the CEO for not meeting the protesting BLOs and hearing their grievances.

While criticising the “hurried” SIR process at the Constitution Divas address in Kolkata, the Chief Minister said they would only abide by the Constitution of B.R. Ambedkar, and not what the Bharatiya Janta Party says.

This comes after a section of the BLOs started a protest outside the CEO, West Bengal office in Kolkata on Monday and held a sit-in demonstration for over 30 hours as they demanded an audience with CEO Manoj Agarwal. They had multiple grievances, including “unbearable work pressure”, amid the ongoing SIR process. These protests were led by BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee, a forum for BLO rights protection.

BLOs in the State have also raised concerns about the tight deadline for completing the door-to-door enumeration form  distribution, collection, and digitisation. They have asked for a deadline extension beyond the stipulated December 4 deadline. Many have also said that the slow portal, lack of Internet connectivity, and political pressure are adding to their work pressure.

Last week, a woman working as a BLO in West Bengal’s Nadia district died by suicide, prompting Ms. Banerjee to raise questions about how many lives the SIR process will cost. In a note, the 52-year-old para teacher Rinku Tarafdar had allegedly blamed the Election Commission for her fate. The note was widely shared by TMC leaders on social media.

This is the second such incident in Bengal where a BLO died by suicide. In another instance, a BLO died under unnatural circumstances.

(Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts are encouraged to seek help and counselling by calling the helpline numbers here)