In this picture released on November 25, 2025, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses a rally in Bangaon, North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. | Photo Credit: X/@AITCofficial via PTI
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday (Nov 26, 2025) urged Booth Level Officers (BLOs) not to resort to suicide and take extreme steps amid growing concerns over work pressure. This comes after three BLOs died in the state amid the ongoing Special Intensive Review (SIR) process.
“You should not die by suicide because life is very precious, yet they have no mercy and it took 48 hours to meet the BLO and listen to them,” Ms. Banerjee said during a public address.
The chief minister cited the death of BLOs in other states, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala. BLOs were dying everywhere, the Trinamool Congress president alleged.
“Their demands are legitimate. They had to wait 48 hours just to get an audience with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to hear their grievances. To hear these basic demands, they needed so much time? Why do they have so much pride?” asked Mrs. Banerjee. She came down hard on the CEO for not meeting the BLO protesters and listening to their grievances.
While criticizing the “rushed” SIR process at the Constitution Divas address in Kolkata, the Chief Minister said they will only follow BR Ambedkar’s Constitution and not what the Bharatiya Janta Party says.
This comes after a section of BLOs started a protest in front of the CEO at the West Bengal office in Kolkata on Monday and staged a sit-in for more than 30 hours as they demanded an audience with CEO Manoj Agarwal. They had several complaints, including “unbearable work pressure”, amid the ongoing SIR process. These protests were led by the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee, a forum for the protection of BLO rights.
BLOs in the state have also expressed concern over the short deadline for completing door-to-door enumeration distribution, collection and digitisation. They requested an extension of the deadline beyond the set deadline of December 4. Many also said that the slow portal, lack of internet connection and political pressure add to their work pressure.
Last week, a woman working as a BLO in West Bengal’s Nadia district committed suicide, prompting Ms. Banerjee to question how many lives the SIR process will cost. In the note, 52-year-old para-teacher Rinku Tarafdar reportedly blamed the Election Commission for her fate. The remark was widely shared by TMC leaders on social media.
This is the second such incident in Bengal where a BLO died by suicide. In another case, a BLO died under unnatural circumstances.
(Those who are in distress or have suicidal thoughts are encouraged to seek help and advice from the helpline number here)
Published – 26 Nov 2025 21:43 IST
