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West Bengal CEO directs BLOs to re-verify voter lists, remove ineligible names by December 11

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal has directed booth-level officers (BLOs) involved in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to re-check enumeration forms and ensure that the names of all deceased, absent, or duplicate voters are removed before the first phase concludes on December 11. The deadline for the first phase of the SIR has been extended from December 4 to December 11. In a message to BLOs, Agarwal emphasised the need for utmost care while uploading data. You must ensure every single dead, absent, or duplicate voters name is deleted from the voter list, as the Election Commission aims to include every eligible voter and remove every ineligible one. There should not be any mistake, inadvertent or otherwise, Agarwal said on Thursday. 'They are forcing me to end my life': Why many BLOs in Bengal found the SIR drive 'inhuman' He warned that the commission will take legal action if any intentional mistake is detected. A senior official in the CEOs office stated that only seven polling booths reported having no deceased or shifted voters in the past year, a decline from 2,208 initially and 480 two days ago. The revised figures came after the CEOs office instructed districts to thoroughly re-check numbers before submission, the official added. In his note, the CEO reminded BLOs that they are on deputation to the Election Commission for the SIR exercise and are responsible for critical verification work. He also expressed gratitude to those BLOs who have done a commendable job, saying no word is enough to praise them. The CEOs message, however, did not mention the BLO Oikyo Manchs claim that four BLOs had died due to stress and deadline pressure during the SIR process over the past month, nor did it address compensation for their families. A deputy CEO earlier stated that district election officers have been asked to submit reports on the alleged incidents and the actual causes of the deaths. ECI directs states, UTs to expedite preparations for Special Intensive Revision