House-to-house, form-to-form: The unseen daily grind of BLOs amid SIR rollout | India News
NEW DELHI: The Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who have been a silent and almost invisible part of India’s electoral machinery for decades, have suddenly found themselves at the centre of attention. The Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has placed them at the centre of one of the largest verification drives in recent years, making their day-to-day labour impossible to ignore.What was once routine verification has now become a high-intensity, deadline-bound exercise. With the first phase scheduled to end on December 11, BLOs across West Bengal say they are clocking 12–16 hour days, making multiple visits to the same households, filling forms for those unable to do so, and uploading details late into the night on their phones. For many, the pressure has blurred the line between work and exhaustion, day and night.
It is in this backdrop that The Times of India spoke to several BLOs in West Bengal to understand what the job looks like on the ground — the rush, the numbers, the fatigue, and the uneven experiences.‘Sabke andar ek tarah ka dar samaya hua hai’“Pressure bahut zyada hai. Sabke andar ek tarah ka dar samaya hua hai (The pressure is extremely high. Everyone seems to be filled with fear),” said Chotelal Paswan, a Booth Level Officer, in conversation with TOI.Posted as a teacher in a middle school in West Bengal’s Bardhaman district, Chotelal is the sole breadwinner for a family of five. After being notified for BLO duty, he now leaves home every day at 8am and spends the entire day distributing and collecting forms. Once the field work ends, he uploads voters’ details, a process that often keeps him occupied till midnight.“The Election Commission informed us just four days before that we would be assigned this duty. Our training began two days before the work started. We receive instructions from the BDO office to begin data collection early in the morning. We carry forms and go door to door. If someone has already filled theirs, we collect it. After that, we have to submit a report to our supervisor mentioning how many forms were collected, how many were pending and how many death-related cases were found,” he said.
But we are under so much pressure that we cannot speak freely. There is pressure from the BDO, pressure from the panchayat pradhan, pressure from the supervisor. On top of that, local party leaders and BLAs exert separate pressure. If we don’t follow their instructions, we fear consequences.
Chotelal Paswan, a BLO posted in West Bengal’s Burdhaman
“In a day, we are able to collect details of about 80–100 voters, that too if everyone is at home,” he added.Chotelal says delays on the ground often slow down the process. He frequently has to revisit houses, sometimes multiple times, and many voters aren’t aware of the urgency of the exercise.“We have to visit each house at least 5–6 times. Even then, many people who have filled their forms refuse to hand them over. They say, ‘Come after ten days,’ or ‘We are busy right now,’” he said.
“This causes us a lot of trouble. Many people don’t understand the importance of this exercise. They say, ‘What difference will it make? We’ll give it later.’ But our official responsibility is to submit everything on time. For those who are not literate, we even have to fill out the forms ourselves,” he added.When asked whether there is pressure from political parties or senior officials, he paused before responding: “What can I say… this is an internal matter. But we are under so much pressure that we cannot speak freely. There is pressure from the BDO, pressure from the panchayat pradhan, pressure from the supervisor. On top of that, local party leaders and BLAs exert separate pressure. If we don’t follow their instructions, we fear consequences.”He estimates that 30–40% of his work is still pending with the deadline looming. He is also required to attend school duties occasionally as examinations approach — despite the BLO Handbook 2011 stating that officers should be relieved of regular office responsibilities during revision periods.“So far, about 70% of the work is completed. We must submit the report by December 11. But if urgent work comes up in the school, I have to go there too,” he said.He also highlights the limitations of technology on the ground.“We work alone — one person has to collect data, upload it, categorise it and attach photographs. In terms of technology, all we have is a mobile phone. How much can we do?” he asked.“Most nights, it is 11pm or even midnight by the time we end our day’s work and we are back in the field the next morning. Because of this, the error margin rises, almost up to 30%,” he added.On reports of BLOs allegedly dying by suicide due to work stress, he says the strain is visible around him.“In Bardhaman district, two women BLOs have committed suicide — we heard this from the news. The pressure is extremely high. Even yesterday, 2–4 women BLOs sitting with us were in very bad shape. Everyone seems to be filled with fear,” Chotelal said.“Everyone is scared. The workload is so heavy that sometimes responding properly becomes difficult. Yet the supervisor and BDO keep demanding answers. They tell us, ‘You must finish the work somehow,’” he added.‘Days and nights have become the same for me’Rita Mandal, a BLO posted in Kolkata’s Dumdum, says her routine has been consumed by SIR work since she was assigned duty. She admits that she has been working late nights under significant stress.“I am extremely busy. I mean, what should I even tell you — there is a lot of pressure,” she told The Times of India.“I have also been extremely busy at night. Because of this work, days and nights have become the same for me,” she said.In contrast, a BLO from Palpara Chandakh described a smoother experience, saying the workload was manageable in her area and that she received adequate support.
I am extremely busy. I mean, what should I even tell you — there is a lot of pressure.
Rita Mandal
“Look, this is not my personal work — this is government work. Everyone has a different experience, and my experience has been more or less good,” she said, requesting anonymity.She added that her supervisor and BDO had arranged an assistant BLO given the high voter density in her assigned area.“Our job was simply to distribute the forms, then collect them, and now I have submitted all the forms. There were a lot of voters, so the BDO office provided me with an assistant BLO. My supervisor and other seniors helped me a lot. We got so immersed in the work that we lost track of date and time. Training happened in phases, and whenever we faced difficulty, we called the BDO office and received immediate updates,” she said.She also denied reports of political pressure from local BLAs or party workers, adding that the BLAs in her area were helpful.“BLAs in my assigned area were very helpful. There were too many voters, and I could not know everyone personally, so they assisted in collecting forms and verifying addresses. The BLAs supported me throughout,” she said.Who said whatBoth the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have acknowledged that BLOs are working under heavy strain. The BJP has alleged that BLOs are functioning under the threat and pressure of “TMC goons”, while the ruling TMC party in Bengal has blamed the Election Commission, calling the SIR timeline “inhuman” and “unplanned”.“Why are BLOs dying only in Mamata’s Bengal? Because in Bengal, TMC goons threaten teachers, Anganwadi and ASHA workers: ‘Finish the voter list fast or lose your job, face transfers, face violence’. The pressure is not from the ECI – it is from TMC’s terror mafia,” BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya said.Meanwhile, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has argued that an exercise earlier spread across three years is now being compressed into two months “to please political masters”, thereby placing “inhuman pressure” on ground-level staff.“A process that earlier took three years is now being forced into two months on the eve of elections to please political masters, putting inhuman pressure on BLOs,” Mamata said.Whether the SIR will deliver a smoother voter list may take time to show. But for now, the immediate reality for BLOs is clear: the work has been heavy, and the days have been long.
