Overview
- An initial Rs 51 crore was released for booth-level officers after repeated Election Commission prods, with about Rs 70 crore reported due for remuneration.
- Roughly 81,000 BLOs are engaged in the Special Intensive Revision that began on November 4, with pay set at about Rs 14,000 for BLOs and Rs 18,000 for supervisors, and a draft roll due on December 16.
- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged the exercise was timed to stall state projects and help the BJP, and she cited 41 deaths in Bengal linked to SIR pressure, plus hospitalisations and suicide attempts, while announcing voter help desks from December 12.
- Compliance issues surfaced as some BLOs were cautioned for collecting forms at centralized locations instead of door-to-door, alongside reports of late-night server outages.
- In Baruipur, a BLO was accused of working as a proxy for her ailing relative assigned to another booth, and district authorities said they would investigate.