West Bengal: Agitating BLOs demand 3-month extension of enumeration deadline

Kolkata: Chaos and tension prevailed yet again before the central Kolkata office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, on Thursday afternoon after a group of over 400 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) breached police barricades to march towards the building, blocking its main entrance and holding a sit-in. Seeking an audience with CEO Manoj Agarwal, the protesters demanded further extension of the enumeration deadline of the ongoing SIR exercise by at least three months, citing "inhuman work-related stress".

Accompanied by family members of the four BLOs in the state, who allegedly died unable to cope with SIR-related work stress, the agitators – rallying under the banner of the TMC-leaning ‘BLO Aikya Manch’ (BLO Unity Forum) – also demanded adequate compensation to the next of kin of the deceased.

This is the second such protest at the CEO’s office in 10 days despite the Election Commission directing Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma to ensure safety and security of officers and staff at the office of the CEO, following a security breach by protesting BLOs on the premises on November 24.

The EC has already extended the deadline of the enumeration phase of SIR, and the subsequent publication of draft and final rolls by seven days.

The protesters held a march from the Sealdah Station in north Kolkata to the CEO’s office in BBD Bag, where it merged with a section of aggrieved BLOs, who are already holding a sit-in before the premises for the past 10 days.

Police had a difficult time in trying to contain the agitators, who tried to scale the guard rail barricades to enter the building, resulting in back-to-back instances of scuffle with the personnel in uniform.

"We are working round-the-clock and are on the verge of a breakdown. We have to attend to our duties in schools, remain up all night to digitise the enumeration forms. Despite our repeated appeals for deadline extension, the EC is not responsive. They are issuing fresh notifications and orders over WhatsApp every day,” alleged BLO Reba Muhuri.

“We demand immediate extension of the SIR deadlines for submitting forms, and preparing draft rolls not by a week, but by three months at least, if not six months," she added.

Sasanka Pal, another forum member and a state government employee, maintained that although he was not a BLO, he joined the protests to express his solidarity with them.

"Union Home Minister Amit Shah is arm twisting the EC to enforce the BJP's diktat for completing the SIR before assembly polls, which has triggered so much pressure on the BLOs and Booth Level Assistants (BLAs) of political parties," he alleged.

An EC official said the CEO’s office was yet to receive any reports from District Election Officers (DEOs) on the alleged deaths of BLOs due to work-related stress.

"We cannot comment on the issue till there is confirmation that those deaths are connected to the SIR exercise," the Deputy CEO-ranked official said.

Following the EC’s extension of deadlines, the house-to-house enumeration phase would conclude on December 11, followed by the publication of draft electoral rolls on December 16.

The final rolls are scheduled to be published on February 14 next year, after completion of the claims and objections period, and the notice phase of hearing and verification of voters.