Kolkata, 19 Nov 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused the Election Commission of India of imposing “inhuman” workload on Booth Level Officers after a BLO in Jalpaiguri’s Mal block died by suicide.

Banerjee said the worker,  an anganwadi employee engaged as a BLO  could not bear the pressure of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. She claimed 28 people have died since the SIR exercise began.

In a statement on X, she said the Election Commission had forced a process that earlier took three years into a two month window ahead of the 2026 Assembly election, creating “relentless and unplanned workload”.

She urged the Commission to halt the drive immediately to prevent further deaths.

TMC leaders have accused the ECI of burdening BLOs with long hours and excessive field verification. There was no immediate response from the Commission.

Opposition parties dismissed the allegations, saying the state government was shifting blame for inadequate administrative support.