Martyr of voter list revision
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A booth-level officer (BLO) in Kerala has committed suicide following intense pressures related to the voter list revision (S.I.R). He is the first martyr of the revision announced one fine morning with no prior notice by the Election Commission. Family members and colleagues stated that he had been under extreme stress for several days due to the voter list revision work. The added pressure from senior officials to collect and distribute the forms as quickly as possible pushed him to the brink. His inability to meet expectations despite working until midnight ultimately led him to take his own life.
Suicide is not a solution to anything; nevertheless, this death must be taken very seriously, and the underlying issues must be addressed to ensure that such incidents do not recur. The intensive voter list revision in the state began on November 4. The goal is to personally verify and update the records of 2.78 crore voters by December 4. The revision is based on the 2002 voter list. According to the Commission, it involves removing deceased voters, those who have changed residence, and duplicate entries. At the same time, due to suspicions that the revision may have political motives, every voter is observing this process with great concern. In Bihar where the latest revision was conducted, 68.66 lakh voters were removed from the list during the revision. The burden of voters’ anxieties and reactions, along with pressure from senior officials, falls on booth-level officers.
A booth-level officer (BLO) is typically responsible for voters in an average of two wards. The distribution of forms, which began on November 5, is still incomplete in many areas. Hundreds of households must be visited, and in many cases, residents are unaware. Even when residents are present, BLOs must revisit if no one is at home. Completing the distribution within a month itself is challenging, and only a few BLOs have managed to meet the directive to finish by November 15. The Commission also requires that distribution details be reported via the official app. BLOs face intense, performance-driven pressure from senior officials to be the first to complete form distribution. On top of this, they must deal with voters’ doubts. Voters who fear that the revision affects their citizenship continuously call BLOs for clarification, which they are expected to provide. All completed forms must also be entered into the computer. Any errors carry the risk of legal consequences and accountability.
Due to such pressures related to voter list revision, a BLO in Rajasthan also took his own life just the day before. In West Bengal, two BLOs collapsed while on duty. BLOs are engaged in a process even more extensive than elections, under the banner of voter list revision. The Election Commission must be prepared to assess their workload and pressures and address the concerns of the public. With Kerala’s local elections approaching, all political parties have demanded that the voter list revision in the state be extended and conducted at a more manageable pace. However, the Election Commission was unwilling to consider this. Therefore, the Commission cannot shirk its responsibility for these pressures and concerns. If the Election Commission is willing to reduce the workload of BLOs, address their concerns, and allow more time, it will also create an opportunity for the voter list to become more democratic. It should also be considered to deploy local ASHA workers to assist BLOs in locating households and voters. It is far better to minimise complaints and address voters’s concerns than publishing the list and creating panic.
There is nothing wrong with ensuring the integrity of the voter list and taking the necessary measures to do so. However, the unnecessary zeal and over-enthusiasm displayed in the process raise doubts about the purity of its intentions. The push for voter list cleansing coincides with the Bihar legislative elections and, in Kerala, with the ongoing processes related to local elections. It is both surprising and questionable that the Election Commission was unwilling to consider the state’s unanimous request for a more measured approach. The situation, in which people are being erased from the list of life in the name of revision, is simply intolerable.