Pressure Mounts as Electoral Forms Lag Behind Deadline

The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process is currently underway in nine states and three Union Territories. As of now, while 99% of the 51 crore registered electors have received their forms, a mere 16% have been digitised. This disparity highlights the strain on Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who are responsible for the distribution, collection, and digitisation of these forms. They are facing immense pressure to meet the deadline, which has led to tragic outcomes, including several suicides linked to job stress.

The SIR process started on November 4, with a deadline for all electors to submit their forms by December 4. The draft electoral rolls are set to be published on December 9. Although the Election Commission has stated that digitisation can continue until the draft roll is published, the current statistics are alarming. For instance, Uttar Pradesh, with its massive population, reports only 3.77% of completed forms digitised so far.

In West Bengal, the situation has escalated to tragic levels, with the recent suicide of BLO Shantimoni Ekka drawing public attention to the overwhelming pressure faced by these workers. Her family revealed that the stress of the SIR work, combined with the challenges of communicating with voters in a Hindi-speaking area where forms are in Bengali, contributed to her mental strain. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticized the Election Commission for the unmanageable workload imposed on BLOs, stating that a process that once took three years is now being crammed into just two months.

This rush has created inefficiencies. In many areas, forms are not being filled out correctly, and BLOs are struggling to verify information against previous electoral rolls. The process has seen administrative bottlenecks, notably in states like Kerala, where the digitisation rate is critically low at 1.89%. The state has even sought legal intervention to postpone the SIR until after local elections.

As challenges mount, the need for better support and planning for BLOs becomes increasingly clear. Their role is vital in ensuring accurate electoral rolls, and without adequate resources and time, the integrity of the electoral process is at risk. With the deadline fast approaching, the Election Commission faces an uphill task to ensure that the SIR is completed efficiently and humanely.