Kolkata: Amidst ongoing protests by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in West Bengal regarding excessive workload during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal has stated that no BLOs have been suspended. The statement comes as a section of BLOs staged demonstrations outside the CEO's office in Kolkata, alleging tremendous and inhumane work pressure.
The BLOs, represented by the BLO Rights Protection Committee and the BLO Adhikar Raksha Manch, marched from College Street to the CEO's office, attempting to enter the premises and symbolically seal the entrance. Police intervened, resulting in minor scuffles. The protestors voiced their concerns about the immense pressure to complete tasks such as distributing and collecting enumeration forms, as well as uploading them online, within a short timeframe. They claim this work usually takes over two years. The BLOs are also claiming that they were not told about digitization earlier.
The core of the BLOs' discontent stems from the SIR exercise, which commenced on November 4th, and the perceived lack of support and training for digitization. They allege that the Election Commission (EC) has not addressed their grievances regarding the overwhelming workload. The committee has warned of continued statewide protests if deadlines are not extended or corrective measures are not implemented.
Adding to the administrative tension, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) questioning the CEO's proposal to hire 1,000 data entry operators and 50 software developers for one year and demanding a suspension of the SIR, citing inadequate training and assistance for BLOs. Banerjee also raised concerns about contractual data-entry operators and Bangla Sahayata Kendra (BSK) employees being barred from SIR-related work.
CEO Manoj Agarwal defended the decision to hire new data entry operators as a policy decision based on Election Commission guidelines, similar to practices in Bihar. He also acknowledged the hard work of the field officials, describing them as "heroes of the SIR" and assured action on reported issues. Agarwal has maintained that the SIR work is progressing well and that digitization would be completed by November 25-26.
The Election Commission has taken some steps to alleviate the pressure on BLOs, including allowing Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to collect forms. However, BLOs are still required to visit homes to sign the form copies and take pictures of the applicants. Despite these measures, some BLOs have continued their agitations.
