6 Madhya Pradesh Poll Officers Die During Voter Revision Exercise In 10 Days

The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Madhya Pradesh has taken a disturbing turn, with two more Booth Level Officers (BLOs) dying this week, bringing the total number of deaths to six in just 10 days. The month-long SIR exercise started in the state on November 4 across all 230 assembly constituencies. The exercise requires the digitisation of voter forms of 5.74 crore electors.

A total of 65,014 BLOs have been deployed, including 2,029 in Bhopal. However, only 37% of the SIR forms have been uploaded so far, leaving 63% of the workload pending with barely 10 days left.

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This mounting backlog has increased panic and anxiety among field workers struggling against tight deadlines, poor server response, and repeated warnings from officials.

A Look At the Victims

Shahdol: 54-year-old BLO Maniram Napit collapsed and died minutes after receiving a phone call from an official about pending targets while collecting SIR forms in a village.

Narmadapuram: Assistant Teacher Sujan Singh Raghuvanshi died after being hit by a train while returning from SIR duty, succumbing to severe injuries during treatment.

Mandideep: BLO Ramakant Pandey suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after finishing an online SIR meeting and collapsed in his washroom before medical help could reach him.

Jhabua: BLO Bhuvan Singh Chauhan, recently suspended for alleged negligence, died of a cardiac arrest, his family saying he was devastated by the suspension.

Damoh: BLO Sitaram Gond fell critically ill during duty and died during treatment after being shifted to Jabalpur.

Balaghat: 50-year-old BLO and Anganwadi worker Anita Nageshwar died in a Nagpur hospital, with her family alleging intense work pressure, though officials attributed the death to infection from an insect bite.

Amid the reported deaths, several other BLOs across Madhya Pradesh have been hospitalised with heart attacks, brain haemorrhages, and critical health complications, which families and colleagues said stemmed from extreme work pressure, long hours, and the fear of suspension if they fail to meet the daily targets.

In Bhopal, BLO Kirti Kaushal suffered a heart attack on duty, while another BLO, Mohammad Laiq, also collapsed after chest pain. In Rewa, Assistant Teacher and BLO Vijay Pandey suffered a brain haemorrhage after days of working with a fever, with his family claiming the nodal officer continued to pressure him despite his illness.

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Meanwhile, in Bhind, teacher and BLO Ravindra Shakya, who has a serious heart ailment, suffered a heart attack after allegedly being forced to work from 9 am to 11 pm under the threat of suspension.

State Employees' Union Writes To Poll Body Chief

Recently, the Madhya Pradesh Third Class Employees Union wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in New Delhi, demanding Rs 15 lakh compensation for the families of the BLOs who died. These benefits are equivalent to those extended during polling duty under the 2019 guidelines. The union also demanded free medical treatment for the BLOs who fall ill or suffer injuries during SIR duty.

The union's letter stressed that SIR is "crucial election-related work" carried out over an entire month, not merely a two-day polling exercise, and therefore deserves equal protection, insurance cover, and relief.

Union General Secretary Umashankar Tiwari warned that officers and employees deployed for SIR are under "immense stress" due to unrealistic targets, server failures, and fear-driven monitoring.

"Many BLOs are working from early morning till late night, some despite serious pre-existing conditions. People are falling ill, and people are dying. Immediate intervention is needed," Tiwari said.