BLOs in Tamil Nadu face abuse amid intense political pressure

Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across Tamil Nadu are reporting mounting stress, political intimidation by both ruling and opposition parties, and harsh working conditions as the state pushes through its ongoing voter verification and enumeration exercise.

While their primary task is to verify voter details and update electoral rolls, many officers say the charged political climate has turned their fieldwork into a source of emotional strain.

‘Overwhelming’

Several BLOs told The Federal that their daily work has become overwhelming, not only because of the volume of verification they must complete, but also due to persistent interference from political functionaries from both the ruling party DMK and opposition parties such as the AIADMK, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), and Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

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The officers say these party functionaries expect immediate updates on voter lists and often demand that the BLOs prioritise addresses supplied by their party men. AIADMK leaders even staged a protest in Chennai last week alleging manipulation in the voter list by DMK party workers by forcing BLOs.

BLOs functioning without bias: TN CEO

Amid the growing concerns, Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Archana Patnaik told the media that BLOs are functioning without any bias and they were given enough training.

When asked about allegations that BLOs were being intimidated by BLA2 workers of the ruling DMK, she said, “BLOs and Electoral Registration Officers are fully aware of their duties and unlikely to be swayed by party pressures. Political parties have to submit evidence if they have specific complaints,’’ she told the media.

Pressure from party workers

When The Federal interacted with BLOs working in North and South Chennai, they said they are suffering severe work pressure and criticism for favouring the ruling party.

A BLO working in South Chennai said she was reduced to tears on Sunday (November 23) after being bombarded with dozens of calls from party workers who insisted that she visit specific households on their lists.

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“Even after explaining that verification takes time, they accuse us of favouring the ruling party. Some even claim we are adding DMK voters deliberately. It is extremely demoralising,” she told The Federal.

Problems faced in urban areas

BLOs in urban areas say their workload is far heavier compared to their rural counterparts. Dense apartment complexes, locked homes, and residential communities with strict security protocols force officers to make multiple visits, often without success.

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“In many gated communities, the security staff do not allow us inside. We are forced to wait on the roads for hours just to hand over the forms. It is mandatory that we had to make three visits to each household before counting any voter as shifted or unavailable,” said an officer from North Chennai.

Suicide in Kallakurichi

The pressure has had tragic consequences in at least one case. The family of a BLO in Kallakurichi district has alleged that she died by suicide due to unmanageable work stress and relentless expectations during the enumeration process.

Many officers point out that the enumeration schedule requires quick data entry and repeated field visits, leaving little time for rest.

Also Read: BLO found dead in Bengal’s Nadia district, suicide note blames EC over SIR workload

“Urban rolls change rapidly. People shift homes frequently, and we must track every movement. But political workers don’t understand the complexity, they only want fast updates,” said another BLO.

’96.2 per cent of forms distributed’

Addressing the press conference regarding the SIR process, Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said that 96.2 per cent of forms have already been distributed and digitisation work is underway, with 50 per cent of the forms being filled and returned to the BLOs.

Also Read: SIR drive: Tamil Nadu BLO dies by suicide; family blames officials, DMK

“Tamil Nadu currently has 68,467 BLOs on the field, supported by 33,000 volunteers, while 83,256 officials are overseeing the exercise. With 2.43 lakh BLA2 workers, the state has the highest number of such political appointees in India. There are fears, rumours of deletion and addition. But no eligible voter can be removed without a valid and recorded reason. We are ensuring that all eligible voters are verified in the process,” she said.

Applications from migrant workers

Reacting to the controversy of inclusion of migrant workers from Bihar as voters in Tamil Nadu, she said, “So far, we have received applications from 869 migrant workers who want to be enrolled as voters in Tamil Nadu. They are from different states, not just Bihar. They have given applications and documents. We will verify them,’’ she told the media.