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The ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal on Friday (October 31) levelled allegations against each other over threats to Booth Level Officers (BLOs), even before the door-to-door voter list verification process began.
A Trinamool leader has allegedly threatened to tie up BLOs if they arrive with incomplete voter lists, prompting the BJP to file an official complaint with the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal. In response, the Trinamool countered by accusing Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari of issuing similar threats to BLOs.
The development comes amid growing concern among BLOs in the State, with several refusing to participate in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, citing “threats” and “security concerns.” Nearly 1,000 BLOs have reportedly received show-cause notices from the CEO’s office for refusing to perform their duties.
A video of Girindra Nath Barman, Trinamool Cooch Behar district chairman, went viral on social media, widely shared by BJP leaders, in which Mr. Barman can be seen making threatening remarks toward BLOs.
“Every BLO is the Election Commission’s representative; they must come with the complete list of voters from 2000, otherwise we will tie them up against trees. Why people’s names are missing from the list must be answered by them, not by us,” Mr. Barman is heard saying in the video.
Reacting to the video, BJP leader Shishir Bajoria wrote to the CEO’s office, calling the statement a “blatant act of intimidation” by the Trinamool leader.
“This kind of threat is not an isolated incident. All such threats are premeditated with the sole objective to threaten the BLOs either not to carry out the task as required per the SIR or completely surrender to the dictates of these unscrupulous Trinamool functionaries,” Mr. Bajoria’s letter stated. He also alleged that the Trinamool is attempting to prevent the removal of doubtful voters from electoral rolls.
The BJP has demanded that an FIR be registered against Mr. Barman and urged the CEO to take measures to prevent such incidents in future.
Leader of the Opposition Mr. Adhikari also shared the video on social media platform X, calling Mr. Barman a “local don.” “How can BLOs, often ordinary government employees, perform their door-to-door duties when Trinamool’s foot soldiers are openly vowing to bind and tie them up?” he said on Friday.
However, by Friday evening, the Trinamool released a video alleging that Mr. Adhikari himself had threatened BLOs.
“In a shocking display of arrogance, @BJP4Bengal LoP threatened Booth Level Officers (BLOs), warning that if they failed to follow ‘instructions’, he would have them arrested. He even boasted that 52 BLOs in Bihar are languishing in jail and that Bengal’s BLOs would meet the same fate if they didn’t toe the line,” a post from the Trinamool’s official handle on X said.
The party further alleged that the remarks amounted to “criminal intimidation of government officials” and an attempt to “sabotage the election process,” urging the Election Commission of India to take immediate cognisance and register an FIR against Mr. Adhikari.
Published – October 31, 2025 08:03 pm IST
