BLOs in Bengal protest in Kolkata over SIR-related demands

Kolkata: A group of schoolteachers appointed as booth-level officers (BLOs) for West Bengal’s upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise staged a protest in Kolkata on Saturday, raising a three-point charter of demands ahead of the first phase of the electoral roll update, scheduled to begin on 4 November.

The protesting BLOs, drawn from state-run schools, highlighted the critical nature of their role in the initial phase of the SIR, during which they are expected to visit every household with enumeration forms. Their primary demand is a formal written directive from either the Election Commission of India (ECI) or the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) confirming that they will be exempt from regular teaching duties while serving as BLOs, and that their time on electoral duty will be officially marked as “on duty.” They expressed concern that, in the absence of such documentation, they risk losing earned leave or salary deductions, despite verbal assurances from the authorities.

The second demand centres on security, with teachers seeking a written commitment from the commission or CEO’s office to ensure adequate protection during fieldwork. Citing reports of threats received by BLOs in certain areas, they argued that verbal assurances were insufficient and called for concrete measures to safeguard their well-being.

Their final demand is for the deployment of two BLOs at polling stations with more than 1,200 voters. Although the commission had initially stated that no booth would exceed this threshold, teachers claimed that several booths still do, making it unmanageable for a single officer to conduct the revision exercise effectively.

(Inputs from IANS)