The Election Commission of India (EC) is set to carry out a special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal ahead of upcoming elections.
A key group into focus are the booth-level officers (BLOs), who must visit every house in their allotted area to verify voter names and details.
Several BLOs have alleged that they are being threatened with inclusion of “false names” in the voter list, and have sought protection.
BLOs, under the Electoral Workers Unity Forum, have urged the Chief Electoral Officer to deploy central security forces for their safety.
The EC assured adequate security for BLOs during the SIR and warned that any security breach would be dealt with seriously.
The state government of West Bengal has been reminded indirectly by the EC to ensure the safety of officials engaged in the SIR exercise.
The SIR’s timing, overlapping with festivals and floods, has drawn criticism for overburdening officials.
Some BLOs reported pressure to add voters using only Aadhaar data without proper verification in parts of Kolkata.
Many BLOs, mostly teachers or staff, fear doing fieldwork in sensitive areas without proper security.
In response, the EC has also built up monitoring measures: meetings with district electoral officers have been held to reinforce discipline in the SIR process and to caution against laxity.
Meanwhile, political tensions are building: the ruling party in West Bengal and opposition parties are accusing each other of influencing the BLO appointments and the revision process itself.
The EC has issued show-cause notices to hundreds of BLOs who have declined or delayed taking up duties, citing reasons such as personal safety fears or political pressure.
The voter list revision is being portrayed by some as an exercise to clean up duplicate or illegal voters; by others as politically motivated, leading to fears of disenfranchisement of genuine voters.
The outcome and integrity of the SIR process are seen as critical, because they will shape the voter database ahead of the likely West Bengal assembly elections in 2026.