KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday urging him to take immediate corrective measures to prevent loss of lives owing to SIR-related stress and work pressure.
Hours after a Booth Level Officer (BLO) died by suicide in Jalpaiguri district on Wednesday, the chief minister came down heavily on the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that precious lives were being lost due to the pressure generated by the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
She urged the commission to “immediately halt this unplanned drive before more lives are lost.” On Thursday, she reiterated the request, asking the ECI to stop the SIR process in the state.
“Now, I am compelled to write to you as the situation surrounding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has reached a deeply alarming stage. The manner in which this exercise is being forced upon officials and citizens is not only unplanned and chaotic, but also dangerous,” Mamata’s letter states.
She wrote that the absence of basic preparedness, adequate planning and clear communication had crippled the process from the beginning.
According to the letter, “The human cost of this mismanagement is now unbearable. Yesterday, an anganwadi worker serving as BLO in Mal, Jalpaiguri, died by suicide reportedly under crushing SIR-related pressure. Several others have lost their lives since this process began. A revision that previously required three years is now being forcibly compressed into three months, subjecting BLOs and officials to inhuman working conditions and forcing common people under the shadow of fear and uncertainty.”
Standing beside the BLOs, mostly state government employees such as schoolteachers and ICDS workers, she criticised the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for serving show-cause notices to BLOs without reason.
“BLOs are now operating far beyond human limits. They are expected to manage their principal duties (many being teachers and frontline workers) while simultaneously conducting door-to-door surveys and handling complex e-submissions. Most are struggling online due to lack of training, server failures and repeated data mismatches,” the letter adds.
She wrote that instead of offering support, extending timelines or addressing systemic flaws, the office of the CEO West Bengal had resorted to intimidation.
“Show-cause notices are being issued without justification. BLOs are being threatened with severe disciplinary action simply because the Commission refuses to acknowledge the reality on the ground,” the letter says.
Mamata urged the CEC to “intervene decisively to halt the ongoing exercise, stop coercive measures, provide proper training and support, and thoroughly reassess the present methodology and timelines.”
“Continuing this unplanned, coercive drive not only endangers more lives but also jeopardises the legitimacy of the electoral revision process,” she said.
Political observers believe the chief minister, who is also the Trinamool Congress supremo, is attempting a strategic outreach by standing beside the BLOs and bringing them into her confidence during the SIR drive.
Opposition BJP and CPI(M) alleged that many BLOs were found carrying out SIR work from inside Trinamool Congress party offices or local clubs dominated by the ruling party, enabling dubious and dead voters to re-enter the electoral rolls.
They claimed the letter was an attempt to influence BLOs so that Trinamool’s Booth Level Agents (BLAs) could pressure them to retain fake voters on the list.
According to opposition allegations, names of around 6,000 dead voters were found in the electoral rolls during the Kaliganj bypoll in Nadia district.
