West Bengal BLOs Seek Security for Voter Registration Campaign

October 5, 2026

Kolkata, October 5 (Daily Kiran) : A group of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in West Bengal has formally requested security from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Neelam Meena for the upcoming “door-to-door voter campaign.” This initiative aims to add new voters and reinstate eligible voters whose names were removed during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process earlier this year, prior to the state assembly elections.

According to directives from the Election Commission of India (ECI), BLOs are tasked with visiting homes to re-register eligible voters who were previously removed from the electoral rolls, as well as to register new eligible voters.

Following this directive, several BLOs in West Bengal have expressed concerns about potential retaliation from individuals whose names may have been removed from the voter list during the SIR process. They fear these individuals could target them or even resort to violence.

The BLO organization has identified eight districts as particularly sensitive, where the risk of attacks is deemed highest. These districts include North 24 Pargana, South 24 Pargana, Howrah, Hooghly, Malda, Murshidabad, North Dinajpur, and Kolkata. Within Kolkata and Hooghly, only certain areas have been classified as sensitive, while the other six districts are considered entirely at risk.

In their letter, the organization emphasized that BLOs had no role in the removal of names from the voter list. Despite this, they remain apprehensive about possible confrontations with those affected by the deletions.

Swapan Mandal, the secretary of the organization, stated, “We are concerned about safety while conducting door-to-door visits. We have written to the CEO requesting security for BLOs during this campaign. We demand that security personnel or necessary protective forces be assigned to each BLO.”

The BLOs’ concerns have been heightened by a troubling incident in April, where judicial officers involved in the SIR decision-making process were reportedly attacked and held hostage for several hours in the Mothabari area of Malda district.

One BLO, speaking on the condition of anonymity, raised a critical question: “If judicial officers can be harassed in such a manner, what guarantee is there that our safety will not be compromised during the new voter registration campaign?”