Following deaths of two Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written a three-page long letter to the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar demanding the SIR process to be stopped.
Citing the plight of BLOs and inadequate infrastructure, the Chief Minister said that it is not possible to complete such an important process within the specified time. There will be a possibility of mistakes. The common man will be the victim, the administrative head also mentioned in the letter.
Chief Minister further wrote that by not cooperating with the state in this situation or not extending the SIR deadline, the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO’s) office in Kolkata is showing ‘fear’. BLOs are being sued and they are also being warned with “strict action” alleged the CM. Mamata Banerjee claimed that the Election Commission refuses to understand the ground reality.
“Instead of offering support, extending timelines or addressing systemic flaws, the office of the CEO in West Bengal has resorted to intimidation. Show-cause notices are being issued without justification,” the CM wrote.
“We will examine the concerns flagged by the chief minister closely and issue a due response,” a senior Election Commission of India (ECI) official in Delhi said.
SIR in West Bengal has been going on since November 4 which is scheduled to be completed on December 4. The first draft electoral roll is due to be published on December 9. Assembly polls in West Bengal are expected to be held in March-April 2026.
BLO deaths in West Bengal amid SIR
Two BLOs have died in West Bengal, with a third in critical condition, allegedly due to the immense pressure and workload of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Shanti Muni Oraon, a tribal lady and anganwadi worker in Malbazar of Jalpaiguri district, died allegedly by suicide on November 19, 2025. Her family alleged she was under “unbearable” pressure from the ongoing SIR work, including collecting and digitizing forms, and faced a language barrier in her area. She had reportedly tried to resign, but her resignation was not accepted.
Namita Hansda, a female BLO in East Burdwan’s Memari community block died of a cerebral attack on November 9, 2025. Her husband also alleged that she was under significant stress due to the relentless work pressure. Another female BLO in Hooghly district suffered a cerebral attack on November 20, 2025, and is in critical condition, with her family blaming work pressure and constant calls from supervisors.
There have lately been allegations of the death of a BLO in the state due to the huge workload in the SIR process. Several more BLOs are reported to be ill. Besides, ever since the SIR process has started, there have been cases of suicides in some part of the state due to panic. Mamata Banerjee has already been vocal on social media about this. Now, she has directly written a letter to National Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Mamata Banerjee urges ECI to halt SIR
The chief minister said in the letter, “I would request you to kindly intervene decisively to halt the ongoing exercise, stop coercive measures, provide proper training and support and thoroughly reassess the present methodology and timelines. If the path is not corrected without delay, the consequences for the system, the officials and the citizens will be irreversible. This intervention is not only necessary by imperative to protect the integrity of the electoral process and our democratic framework.”
SIR in West Bengal has reached a concerning point: Mamata Banerjee
In the letter, she further writes that the SIR situation in Bengal has reached a “concerning point”. The CM mentioned in her letter that the way SIR is being imposed on the common people, starting from officials, is very dangerous. However, Mamata Banerjee also highlighted in the letter that the BLOs are having to work under the most pressure. Not only that, he also highlighted several issues in the letter, starting from the lack of adequate training.
CM expresses concern for BLOs
The Chief Minister has expressed concern that the way the BLOs are working under huge pressure, whether it will be possible to upload the data of all the assembly voters by December 4. Not only that, but due to extreme pressure, incorrect or incomplete forms may be submitted as there maybe errors due to so much of work in such a short span of time. She said that BLOs have not been imparted adequate training, support and time for undertaking this mammoth exercise and that they were operating beyond human limits.
The letter also mentions that in this case, genuine voters may be deprived of their voting rights. Mamata Banerjee has demanded the intervention of the Election Commission in this situation. At the same time, she also requested the Commission to suspend the SIR process in her letter to Gyanesh Kumar.
BJP reacts to Mamata’s letter to the Election Commission
“Mamata Banerjee will continue to complain and dramatise the SIR process because she knows the noose is tightening and she risks being routed in 2026. Her political survival depends on shielding a voter base created through fraudulent and illegal means. In 2026, West Bengal will elect a Chief Minister for the state, not someone who behaves as though she is the provincial leader of East Pakistan,” head of the BJP’s IT wing Amit Malviya wrote on X.
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