Forced to Work Outside Huts, on Machans, and Hilltops Due to No Network
- Weak Network Forces BLO to Work Outside Voter’s Hut: In Narri village, BLO Nandlal Iwane had to sit outside a voter’s hut, manually noting details because the mobile network was too weak for uploading data. He trekked nearly 200 meters to a forest outpost to finally catch a signal.
- BLO Climbs Machan in Field to Upload Data: At Peepal Kota (also spelled Pipal Tola), BLO Ajay Uike perched on a wooden machan (watchtower) in a remote farm, turning it into his makeshift digital workspace. With BSNL services down for a week, he depended on patchy Jio signals—the only mobile network available in the area.
- BLO Treks into Forest Hill Amid Wildlife Threat: In Barasel village near the Betul border, BLO and teacher Lakhanlal Yadav hiked 2.5 km up a forest hill riddled with wildlife threats, where wild animals roam freely. Here, uploading a single online voter form—a task that takes 40–60 seconds normally—dragged on for 20–25 minutes due to poor connectivity.
BLOs are racing against time, searching for rural residents and daily wage laborers to meet SIR deadlines. The Bhaskar team witnessed firsthand how delays, mounting pressure, and relentless network crises are crippling the electoral rolls revision in these isolated spots.
Massive Voter Digitisation Drive Underway: Key SIR Numbers in MP
The SIR work kicked off on November 4 across MP’s 230 Assembly constituencies, with BLOs required to visit each household three times for voter verification and updates. This intensive revision is part of a broader voter digitisation push, but BLOs are grappling with immense workload, physical strain, and rising health issues from deadline pressures.
| Key SIR Statistics | Details |
| Total Voters in MP | 5.74 crore |
| Polling Booths / BLOs | 64,014 |
| Political Party Units | 1,19,940 |
| Assistant Returning Officers | 762 |
| District Election Officers | 55 |
Network Crisis Persists in Many Villages Despite BSNL 4G Towers
Mobile networks are unreliable or absent in villages across Narmadapuram, Seoni Malwa, Pipariya, Sohagpur, and Kesla. Even after BSNL installed 4G towers in 500 "network-dark" villages, connectivity issues linger—sometimes right beside the towers. Residents complain of BSNL services offline for days, stranding BLOs without on-site data upload options.
As a workaround, BLOs fill offline forms during door-to-door visits to speed up the process, then hike several kilometers to "signal spots" like hilltops or outposts for uploading voter data. One BLO was spotted working from a raised platform, underscoring the desperation.
Tragic Toll: Seven BLO Deaths in MP Within 10 Days Raise Alarms on Workload
The SIR drive has claimed lives, sparking outrage over excessive pressure on BLOs. In the last 10 days, seven deaths have been reported, mostly from heart attacks linked to stress:
- Shahdol: BLO Maniram Napit succumbed to a heart attack.
- Narmadapuram: Assistant teacher Sujan Singh Raghuwanshi killed by a train.
- Mandideep: BLO Ramakant Pandey died of heart attack post-online meeting.
- Jhabua: Teacher Bhuvan Singh Chauhan suffered heart attack after suspension.
- Damoh: BLO Sitaram Gond passed away during treatment.
- Balaghat: BLO & Anganwadi worker Anita Nageshwar died in Nagpur.
- Rewa: Anganwadi worker Veena Mishra died of heart attack in Sidhi.
These incidents underscore the human cost of poor mobile network woes and the urgent need for better support in remote villages during SIR work in MP. As BLOs continue climbing forests and dodging wildlife threats to upload data, calls grow for improved infrastructure to safeguard these frontline workers.
