BLO protest continues outside Election Commission, BJP leader calls them ‘TMC hawkers

Kolkata (The Uttam Hindu): On Tuesday, BLOs (Booth Level Officers) held a protest outside the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Kolkata. Upset over the heavy workload during the SIR process, the BLOs said they are being forced to work under unbearable pressure, which is seriously affecting their mental and physical health.

The protesters said they had gathered peacefully to raise their issues, but were stopped midway and forcibly taken away in buses. This created a tense situation at the spot.

One of the BLOs said, “We are protesting peacefully. A stage has been set up under the banner of the BLO Rights Protection Committee. We came to the Election Commission hoping for some relief. BLOs are under huge pressure, their mental health is suffering, many have fallen sick, and sadly, a few have even died.”

They added that during the SIR process, they are made to work 10–12 hours every day without proper time, resources or safety for field verification. They questioned whether it is fair to treat the people who help strengthen democracy in this manner.

On the other hand, BJP leader Sajal Ghosh called the protest completely misleading. He claimed that the protestors were not real BLOs and that only a handful of people had shown up, while the rest were busy doing their official work.

Ghosh said, “Where are the BLOs? Tell us who the real BLOs are. Out of 84,000 BLOs, only four people came. Others are working, and nearly 70% of the work is already finished. The first round, which was supposed to be completed by December 4, will be done by November 25 or 26.”

He also took a dig at the protestors, saying they were TMC’s hawkers and probably didn’t even know what the SIR process was.

At present, the protesting BLOs have announced that they will continue their agitation until they receive a proper solution. Meanwhile, the administration is closely monitoring the situation.