ECI Presser and BLO Strain: Why the Election-Roll Revision Has Turned Into a Crisis

1. Why BLOs Are Under Extreme Strain

2. The Crisis Behind the Scenes

4. Why This Has Become Controversial

The Election Commission of India’s recent press conference on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has placed a spotlight on an issue that has been brewing quietly across the country: the mounting pressure on Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
Reports from several states suggest that the voter list verification exercise, intended to strengthen electoral accuracy, has instead created a wave of panic, stress and overwork among the very field staff responsible for executing it.

Why BLOs Are Under Extreme Strain

BLOs, who are typically School teachers, Revenue staff or Frontline government employees have been tasked with a massive workload door to door verification, physical form Collection, Document checking, Digital uploading and Repeated revisits to households.
Many officers say they are working long hours, juggling regular office duties during the day and voter roll assignments late into the night. Technical issues with Mobile applications, Poor network connectivity and Tight deadlines have intensified their mental load.

Several BLOs have complained that they receive little or no logistical support, while some say they have been warned of disciplinary action for delays, even when tasks are practically unmanageable.

The Crisis Behind the Scenes

Although the Election Commission maintains that the process is routine and essential, scattered reports from various districts indicate a growing human cost. Some BLOs have collapsed due to exhaustion, while isolated incidents of health complications and resignations have surfaced.
In one tragic case, a BLO reportedly died by suicide with family members claiming extreme work pressure. While investigations continue, the incident has raised concerns about the lack of safeguards for frontline election staff.

Teacher unions and staff associations in multiple states have demanded an immediate review of workloads, extended deadlines, or cancellation of unrealistic verification targets.

What the ECI Says

In its recent briefing, the Election Commission reiterated that the SIR exercise is necessary to eliminate bogus entries, detect duplicates and ensure an accurate and clean voter roll before the next election cycle.

However, the Commission did not offer clarity on whether the timeline would be relaxed or whether BLOs would receive additional manpower, financial support or technical assistance.

Why This Has Become Controversial

High workload with no incentives
Pressure tactics and fear of action for delays
Technical failures and app crashes
No compensation for Travel, Mobile data or after hours duty
Unrealistic expectations to complete large clusters within days
Reports of stress related illnesses and tragic incidents

Opposition parties and civil society groups argue that the sudden intensity of the door to door verification is unnecessary, while some communities fear misuse of the verification process.

A System Under Stress

India’s electoral rolls are among the largest in the world and BLOs form the backbone of their accuracy. But the current crisis shows that the system is stretched thin.

Without Transparency, Proper support and Humane workload planning, the burden falls disproportionately on ground level staff who have limited ability to push back.