The directive came after Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti reviewed progress in West Bengal, where 7.63 crore enumeration forms have been distributed and 1.09 crore digitized as of November 18. Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal also attended the review meetings in Kolkata.
The SIR exercise, underway in 12 states and Union Territories, has triggered deep concerns over BLO working conditions. Apart from the three suicides, a BLO in West Bengal has threatened self-harm, while an Anganwadi worker engaged in SIR duties attempted suicide in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur on Tuesday. Families and colleagues allege crushing workloads, long hours, and the December deadline have pushed many to exhaustion.
According to the Election Commission, more than 50.25 crore enumeration forms have been distributed across 51 crore voters in nine states and three UTs. Kerala has recorded the lowest number of completed forms returned for digitization, while Rajasthan has logged the highest.
Across several states, field-level officials report operational bottlenecks and excessive monitoring. In Madhya Pradesh, BLOs cite technical issues with the data-entry app, slowing digitization efforts. In Rajasthan, officers claim they must visit 200 households a day and upload data, often working up to 18 hours amid mandatory status reporting every two hours. Female BLOs say the burden is particularly severe due to domestic responsibilities.
The Congress, after reviewing SIR updates with state unit chiefs on Tuesday, accused the BJP of attempting to “weaponize” voter list revisions. The party announced a protest rally in Delhi in the first week of December.
The EC has maintained that the revision must continue on schedule, but the growing list of distress cases is likely to intensify demands for workload reassessment.
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