Archive · 6 Oct 2026
Bengal BLOs Seek Security for Fresh Voter Enrolment Drive
Booth-level officers help keep voter lists up to date.
They are expected to visit homes to add new eligible voters and restore eligible voters whose names were removed.
Some officers worry that people may become angry with them during these visits.
Their association says the officers did not decide which names were removed.
It has asked West Bengal’s chief election official to provide security during the work.
The association named eight districts it considers sensitive, though only some areas of Kolkata and Hooghly were flagged in one account.
The concern has also been influenced by an alleged attack on judicial officers in Malda in April.
The enrolment drive is due to start soon.
A West Bengal BLO association asked Chief Electoral Officer Neelam Meena for security during an upcoming voter enrolment drive.
BLOs are expected to visit homes to register new eligible voters and re-enrol eligible people whose names were deleted during the SIR exercise.
The association says BLOs had no role in the deletions but may face voters’ anger because they represent the Election Commission on the ground.
It identified eight sensitive districts: North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Malda, Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur and Kolkata.
The request follows an alleged April attack and hostage-taking involving judicial officers handling SIR adjudication in Mothabari, Malda.
- Who
- A West Bengal association of booth-level officers (BLOs), Chief Electoral Officer Neelam Meena, and BLOs conducting the enrolment work.
- What
- The association requested security for BLOs during a door-to-door drive to enrol new voters and re-enrol eligible voters whose names were deleted.
- When
- The request was made on Monday; the drive is expected to start soon. The cited incident involving judicial officers occurred in April.
- Where
- West Bengal, with eight districts identified as sensitive: North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Malda, Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur and Kolkata.
- Why
- BLOs fear being targeted by voters upset about deleted names, although the association says BLOs had no role in those deletions.
- Request
- The association asked for security personnel or other necessary forces to accompany BLOs.
- Drive tasks
- Visit homes to enrol new eligible voters and re-enrol eligible voters whose names were deleted during the SIR exercise.
- Districts identified
- North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Malda, Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur and Kolkata.
- Areas flagged
- One report says only certain pockets of Kolkata and Hooghly were flagged, while the other six districts were classed as fully sensitive.
- Association representative
- Swapan Mondal, identified as association secretary in one report and general secretary of Votekarmi and BLO Aikya Mancha in another.
- Earlier incident cited
- Judicial officers involved in SIR adjudication were allegedly attacked and held hostage for several hours in Mothabari, Malda, in April.
- Training
- Training had begun in districts including Murshidabad and Kolkata, according to one report.
