West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, urging immediate intervention to prevent further deaths allegedly linked to stress from the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Her appeal comes a day after a Booth Level Officer (BLO) died by suicide in Jalpaiguri, which she says reflects the growing pressure on officials involved in the drive. Calling the exercise “unplanned and chaotic,” Banerjee requested the Election Commission of India (ECI) to halt the SIR process, citing inadequate preparedness, severe work strain and rising human costs.
Mamata Banerjee Warns Of ‘Human Cost’
In her letter, Mamata Banerjee stated, “Now, I am compelled to write to you as the situation surrounding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has reached a deeply alarming stage.” She alleged that the way the exercise is being imposed on officials and citizens is “dangerous” and lacking any coherent planning.
She wrote that insufficient preparedness, weak communication and inadequate planning had undermined the process from the outset. According to the letter, “The human cost of this mismanagement is now unbearable. Yesterday, an anganwadi worker serving as BLO in Mal, Jalpaiguri, died by suicide reportedly under crushing SIR-related pressure. Several others have lost their lives since this process began.”
She further noted that a revision earlier requiring three years was now being “forcibly compressed into three months,” creating “inhuman working conditions” for BLOs and instilling fear among citizens.
“BLOs Under Severe Pressure”
Mamata Banerjee criticised the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for issuing show-cause notices to BLOs “without justification,” saying these officials were working “far beyond human limits” while balancing their principal duties with door-to-door surveys and complex digital submissions. Many BLOs, she wrote, were struggling due to inadequate training, server failures and recurring data mismatches.
She urged the CEC to halt the exercise, stop ‘coercive practices’, address systemic issues and reassess timelines. “Continuing this unplanned, coercive drive not only endangers more lives but also jeopardises the legitimacy of the electoral revision process,” she warned.
Political observers see Banerjee’s stance as a strategic outreach to BLOs. Meanwhile, the BJP and CPI(M) alleged that several BLOs were found carrying out SIR work from Trinamool Congress offices, enabling dubious and dead voters to re-enter electoral rolls. They claimed the letter aimed to influence BLOs, alleging around 6,000 dead voters were discovered during the Kaliganj bypoll in Nadia district.
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