Months after Bengal SIR, BLOs await dues; no ex-gratia for kin of dead

The family of Namita Hansda is still waiting for an acknowledgement of what they believe was the price she paid for the pressure of election duty.

Hansda, a 50-year-old ICDS worker and Booth Level Officer (BLO) in East Burdwan, died after suffering a brain stroke in November 2025 while distributing enumeration forms during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Her husband, Madhab Hansda, said she had been working late and receiving repeated calls to meet the distribution target.

“Namita was under intense pressure to complete her work. She was receiving multiple calls on her phone,” he recalled. “That is why she was working so late.”

Families wait for remuneration and more

The family received Rs 2 lakh in ex-gratia assistance from the then Trinamool Congress-run state government, but has sought higher compensation and a government job for a family member.

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The family’s demand, however, has remained unaddressed, as the Election Commission (EC) has yet to recognise any link between the circumstances of Hansda’s death and the demands of SIR duty.

Hansda’s case is part of wider grievances raised by BLOs, with many still awaiting full remuneration months after the exercise ended, thousands of additional personnel having received nothing, and families of deceased BLOs yet to receive ex-gratia assistance.

Partial success for protesters

The Votekarmi and BLO Aikya Mancha has taken up all three issues with the poll panel, with only partial success in securing payment of the outstanding dues and no resolution yet on compensation for the families of deceased BLOs.

Mancha general secretary, Swapan Mandal, told The Federal the organisation had repeatedly sought action on the pending payments and compensation for the families of deceased BLOs.

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“We have conveyed our displeasure over the delay in payments, but our bigger concern is that the Commission has still not clarified whether the families of BLOs who died during SIR duty will receive ex-gratia compensation,” Mandal said.

Rs 40 lakh each sought for 18 BLOs’ kin

The Mancha has documented 18 deaths among BLOs during the SIR and has demanded at least Rs 40 lakh for each bereaved family.

The EC’s position is that the circumstances of individual deaths have to be verified before deciding on compensation. EC sources said a decision on ex-gratia could be taken only after reports were received from the district magistrates concerned, establishing the actual cause of death.

That leaves families such as the Hansdas waiting not only for compensation but also for an official determination on whether the pressure and workload associated with SIR can be linked to a death or serious medical episode.

Pending payments

Meanwhile, the payment issue, too, remains unresolved. Mandal said BLOs had repeatedly taken up the matter with the EC but full remuneration had still not been cleared.

According to him, a BLO was to receive Rs 22,000 under the principal components of the payment, but Rs 9,000 remained pending in many cases. The amount comprised Rs 12,000 annual remuneration, a one-time Rs 6,000 incentive for SIR, and Rs 2,000 for electoral roll revision. BLOs were also entitled to another Rs 2,000 for voter assistance booth duty on polling day.

Also read: Bengal SIR: BLOs protest over ‘unrealistic targets’ as focus shifts to ‘missing’ voters

After repeated representations and communiques from the Aikya Mancha seeking clearance of the pending dues, the West Bengal government, a couple of days ago, sanctioned another Rs 38.8 crore towards outstanding SIR remuneration for election personnel, including BLOs.

Partial relief

The allocation came months after the exercise and the 2026 Assembly election, following an earlier release of around Rs 51 crore towards BLO remuneration.

Mandal said the latest allocation would provide only partial relief. For most BLOs, around Rs 5,000 would be released, leaving about Rs 4,000 still pending, though the outstanding amount is higher in some individual cases.

He said the Mancha had learnt that funds had been allocated to all districts except Kolkata. If so, BLOs in Kolkata may not receive even the latest instalment, he said.

Varied payments

The amounts received by individual BLOs have varied. Nagendranath Sardar, a BLO at booth 199 in the Bagdah assembly constituency in North 24-Parganas district, said he has received Rs11,000 so far. Kaisar Rashid, a BLO at booth 215 in Lalgola assembly constituency in Murshidabad, said he had received Rs 13,000.

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Mandal attributed such differences partly to problems at the local level, with some BLOs not receiving the full amount released to their districts.

The grievance also extends to personnel who were brought in to support the regular BLOs. According to EC sources, around 5,000 additional BLOs were deployed at booths with large electorates or to replace BLOs who fell sick.

These personnel have not received any payment so far, prompting the Mancha to raise the issue with the commission recently.

Uncertain wait after mammoth task

Around 80,000 BLOs were deployed for the SIR and subsequent electoral work in West Bengal. Mostly government and local-body employees, they had to undertake election duties alongside their regular responsibilities, distributing and collecting enumeration forms, visiting households, verifying voter details and updating electoral-roll data.

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The payment dispute had surfaced during the SIR itself, with the EC at the time blaming the then state government for failing to release the enhanced remuneration due to BLOs.

The state government subsequently released around Rs 51 crore in December, but substantial dues remained, raising questions about the treatment of the foot soldiers who carried out one of the country’s most extensive electoral exercises.

For the families of deceased BLOs, the wait is more uncertain. The Aikya Mancha's demand for Rs 40 lakh in compensation is yet to be considered, with the EC awaiting district magistrates’ reports on the circumstances and causes of death.