Bhopal, Nov 28 – The Chief Opposition Leader of Madhya Pradesh, Umang Singhar, called for financial support for the relatives of the deceased Booth Level Officers (BLOs) who had passed away while performing duties for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the state.
Singhar noted that these BLOs – which include government workers and teachers – are under relentless pressure from the Election Commission. “They can’t express themselves publicly due to fear of losing their jobs. These BLOs are forced to work overtime every day. They aren’t allowed a single leave. The EC is doing this all to prove its efficiency and transparency in the name of the electoral process. But the EC has lost its credibility completely,” he said to LatestNewsX.
Addressing the mortality and worsening health of the BLOs, the Opposition Leader urged the Election Commission of India and the state authorities to take decisive action. He also demanded that the spouse and children of the fallen officers receive compensation.
“BLOs are being compelled to exceed their normal working hours because of the immense pressure. The state government must review this situation,” he added.
In the past fortnight, several BLOs, many of whom were teachers, have died across Madhya Pradesh. A fresh casualty was reported on Tuesday in the Rewa district – Anganwadi worker Veena Mishra, who worked as a BLO, died after a cardiac arrest. Another incident last week involved Maniram Napit, 54, a government teacher from Shahdol, who suffered a heart attack while collecting voter forms in Pateria village.
On November 20, a BLO named Ramakant Pandey in Mandideep, Raisen, collapsed in a washroom ten minutes after an online meeting, later dying from a heart attack. He had been a teacher at Ward 17 Tilakhedi Primary School while carrying out BLO duties.
Earlier, on November 19, Sitaram Gond from Damoh district was admitted to the district hospital with a deteriorating condition. He was later transferred to Jabalpur but died during treatment.
BLO Bhuvan Singh Chauhan of Jhabua district also passed away on November 18 after a heart attack. He had previously been suspended by the District Election Officer for alleged negligence. A post‑mortem confirmed cardiac arrest, and his family contends he succumbed to stress linked to the suspension.
There were additional reports of accidents. Sujan Singh Raghuvanshi, a teacher working as a BLO, allegedly died in an accident while returning from duty late at night in Narmadapuram.
Beyond these untimely deaths, many BLOs are currently hospitalized throughout the state with severe health issues such as heart attacks and brain hemorrhages. Vijay Pandey, an assistant teacher in Pushparaj Nagar, Rewa, suffered a brain hemorrhage while conducting SIR work and was immediately taken to the hospital.
The SIR activity has been running across Madhya Pradesh’s 230 assembly constituencies since November 4, covering 5,007,450 voters and 65,014 polling booths.
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