SIR Row: How Voter-Roll Revision Triggered Crisis, And Why BLOs Are Paying The Price

The aim of the SIR is to remove duplicate entries, deceased or migrated voters, and otherwise clean up the electoral rolls before the upcoming Assembly polls. While the objective — a clean, accurate voter list — is not disputed publicly, SIR’s accelerated schedule and large scale have drawn sharp criticism.

Image: ANI

The Election Commission has launched a massive voter list overhaul across 12 states and Union Territories in 2025 — under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Over 5.3 lakh BLOs have been tasked with verifying details for more than 51 crore voters. The aim is to remove duplicate entries, deceased or migrated voters, and otherwise clean up the electoral rolls before the upcoming Assembly polls. While the objective — a clean, accurate voter list — is not disputed publicly, SIR’s accelerated schedule and large scale have drawn sharp criticism. The deadline and workload have placed enormous pressure on BLOs, who often carry this duty in addition to their regular jobs, leaving many undertrained and overburdened. 

BLO Deaths & Suicides Amid SIR Stress

Tragic outcomes have followed. In just a few weeks, multiple BLOs from different states have died — some by suicide, others reportedly from medical emergencies linked to extreme stress. 

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In Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad, a 46-year-old BLO, assigned duty only weeks before, died by suicide citing work pressure and inability to meet targets. 

In Kerala and Rajasthan, officials died by suicide, reportedly overwhelmed by the burden of door-to-door enumeration under tight deadlines. 

According to compiled data, around 25 BLOs died in just 22 days across seven states. 

The scale of deaths and growing reports of mental stress have sparked outrage from opposition parties, civil society, and even some political leaders claiming that SIR has turned into a “deadly burden” rather than a democratic exercise. 

A recent media feature quotes one BLO alleging that the deaths, suicides and spiralling trauma are “the consequence of ECI’s gross mismanagement of manpower during its present exercise of Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls.” 

SIR Deadline Extended

Under pressure, the ECI has extended the deadline. Amid mounting concerns over the heavy workload and stress faced by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) — including reports of suspected suicide cases — the Election Commission of India has decided to extend the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 States and Union Territories. The decision was announced on Sunday, November 30, 2025.

Under the revised schedule, the house-to-house verification and data collection will now continue until December 11, a week beyond the earlier deadline of December 4. The publication of the draft electoral rolls has also been postponed to December 16, while the final voter list will now be issued on February 14, instead of February 7, the poll body said.

Criticism & Political Outcry

Opposition leaders have strongly condemned the SIR implementation. Mallikarjun Kharge, President of Indian National Congress, called the deaths a “deadly turn” in what he called electoral malpractice — alleging that overburdened BLOs are being driven to suicide under unrealistic targets. 

Rahul Gandhi termed SIR “no reform, but an imposed tyranny,” blaming the poll body for forcing staff to slog through massive paperwork under pressure of deadlines and calling the fatalities “collateral damage.” 

Regional leaders like Akhilesh Yadav have accused the authorities of gross mismanagement and alleged that SIR is being used to manipulate electoral rolls — especially in areas with minority or backward community populations. 

BLOs and field-level unions have staged protests in several states, demanding better conditions, realistic deadlines, and transparent grievance redressal. 

Critics argue that a process meant to strengthen democracy is turning dangerous — threatening both the lives of those implementing it and the confidence of voters. “SIR duty should not be a death sentence for BLOs,” one protestor was quoted saying. 

Pay Hike For BLOs — Too Little, Too Late?

In response to mounting anger and media scrutiny, the Election Commission reportedly doubled the annual remuneration for BLOs — from Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000. Incentives for electoral roll revision work have also been increased. 

But many say this is inadequate compared to the mental stress, long hours, and responsibilities heaped on undertrained schoolteachers and clerks, often already stretched thin with their regular jobs. 

ECI Under Pressure

While the ECI insists the SIR process is essential for updating voter rolls and removing fraudulent entries, many procedural concerns remain:

* The 30-day deadline for nationwide enumeration has been criticized as unrealistic even before the drive began. 

* Many BLOs and voters say instructions have been confusing, support inadequate, and target load unrealistic — an environment prone to human error and mental stress. 

* The deaths and suicides among BLOs have turned public attention to the “human cost” of administrative decisions, and raised broader ethical questions about workload, mental health, and election management.

What Happens Next

As SIR continues across multiple states, and the final voter rolls are slated for publication by early 2026, pressure is rising on the Election Commission to review its processes.

Opposition parties have demanded a full investigation into the fatalities and an independent inquiry into systemic failures. Several have asked for compensation and government jobs for the families of deceased BLOs. 

For now, what was intended as a drive to clean the electoral rolls — to protect and strengthen democracy — risks undermining it by eroding the trust of those who administer elections, and endangering the lives of the very people tasked with ensuring every voter is counted fairly.