Updated: Nov 16, 2025, 07:58 pm IST

Kolkata: West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday criticised the Election Commission of India (ECI) for failing to support Block Level Officers (BLOs) tasked with the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of the electoral roll. Meanwhile, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the TMC of spreading panic among voters.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh highlighted the difficulties faced by BLOs, pointing to a lack of proper training and logistic support. “The ECI should have given proper training to BLOs and provided them with logistical support. It is not unnatural for people to break down under pressure,” he said.

Several BLOs have reported extreme stress. Animesh Nandy of Kolkata collapsed during a meeting with his supervisor, while Sabita Mondal in Howrah described being overwhelmed by door-to-door distribution and using the ECI’s slow and untrained phone app for voter data entry. Dipankar Dey in Siliguri said targets were unrealistic, with voters calling at all hours for clarifications.

Namita Hansda, a BLO from East Burdwan, died on November 9, reportedly due to stress. Her husband, Madhab Hansda, confirmed she had been under pressure while performing her duties.

BJP leader and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar accused the TMC of spreading “baseless panic” that voters excluded from the electoral roll could be declared undocumented immigrants. “Genuine citizens will never be affected,” he said. The party has also set up assistance booths to help voters fill forms and ensure compliance with ECI guidelines.

A four-member ECI team is scheduled to visit Kolkata and adjoining areas next week to address technical issues encountered during the SIR process. The deadline for SIR enumeration across nine states and three Union Territories is December 4, with the first draft electoral roll due on December 9. West Bengal is expected to hold assembly elections in March-April 2026.