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News18 spent an entire day with a BLO to document the nature and volume of work they handle.
Life has changed significantly for Chiranjib Kumar Nath in the last 20 days since he began working as a Booth Level Officer. (Image: News18)
A major debate has emerged in West Bengal over the workload and pressure faced by Booth Level Officers (BLOs). Several BLO deaths have been reported in recent weeks. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleges that excessive work pressure is driving BLOs to suicide, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claims the ruling party is politicising the issue and argues that BLOs are actually working under fear due to alleged political intimidation by TMC workers.
To understand the ground situation, News18 spent an entire day with a BLO to document the nature and volume of work they handle.
Morning: A House Turned Into a Mini Election Office
Life has changed significantly for Chiranjib Kumar Nath in the last 20 days since he began working as a Booth Level Officer. When News18 rang the bell at his Kasba residence, he hurriedly opened the gate. Inside, several residents were seated with forms, including senior citizens who said they were unable to fill out the documents on their own and have come to him for help. It was only 8 am, but the house was already functioning as a mini Election Commission office, with enumeration forms, registers and documents covering the tables.
Asked how his day begins, Chiranjib says: “For the last few days, my day starts at 4 am. There are 1,143 voters in my booth. I have distributed forms and collected most of them. During the day, I handle collection and distribution work, and the rest of the time we focus on uploading the forms on the app. I have digitised 30 per cent so far. Most of the time there are technical problems with the app; since last night, it has not worked at all. I start uploading from early morning. There is tension because of the deadline, but we are citizens of this country and we have been given this responsibility, so we must do it.”
As he spoke, more residents arrived seeking assistance. One elderly man told News18: “I am nearly 75. I cannot see properly. I have no one to help, so I came to him.”
Another resident added, “We changed our address, but our voter card still has the old one. He went to the old house three times and left notices. We came after receiving the message and are now submitting the form.”
Political Presence at the BLO’s Home
The TMC Booth Level Agent (BLA), Sushanto, was also present. He said: “We have been told by the party to help and keep track of all voters so that no one’s name is deleted unnecessarily. We are uploading everything in Didir Doot as well. I am the only BLA here; others from the opposition came initially but no one comes now. I was instructed to come every day, so I am here.”
Throughout the interactions, Chiranjib kept receiving calls. Each call brought new queries from voters wanting to know whether their forms have been digitised. His phone functioned almost like a call centre.
Door-to-Door Visits and Voter Concerns
After finishing the morning work at home, Chiranjib stepped out for field visits. News18 walked with him as he went door to door, collected forms, and explained the process to voters. One resident told News18 after submitting his form: “Now we are relieved.”
At each house, Chiranjib calmly reassured voters that eligible names will be included. He explained that in several locations people are still reluctant to submit forms despite multiple visits, and took News18 to one such house. The resident told him to return after an hour. Chiranjib replied: “I have already come three times. If I have to come again, it becomes taxing. I also have a deadline.”
While walking down the road, a local resident stopped him and asked: “Dada, has my name definitely been uploaded?”
Chiranjib smiled and responded: “If you have submitted the form, do not worry. It will be uploaded.”
When asked why people are so anxious, the resident told News18: “So many names may get deleted. That is why we are asking.”
Throughout the field visit, the BLO handled both the administrative workload and the anxiety of residents. Some people even handed him their forms on the street.
Late Afternoon to Evening: Work Still Unfinished
Chiranjib returned home in the late afternoon, but even then residents continued arriving to submit forms. Speaking to News18, he said: “Madam, there are challenges and they will remain. We also need to be dynamic. The Election Commission should have provided more training. But I want to tell my colleagues not to panic or get tense. I am also awake through the night, but we are doing something different. This is an experience. There is no point in panicking. Life is beautiful.”
His wife added, “There is no doubt that we are facing problems, but there is no point in becoming hyper. As a family we are supporting him. I am also a teacher, and many of my colleagues are tense. But tension will not solve the problem. We are citizens; we should do this work.”
As evening set in, Chiranjib was still trying to upload data on the app. He noted that such technical issues occur frequently, but for a task of this scale, disruptions are expected. Chiranjib also told News18 that this technical problem does not occur every day, but sometimes there are technical glitches which delay the process. “Whenever there is a problem, EC provides an updated version,” he said.
Kamalika Sengupta is the Editor (East) at CNN-News18 / News18.com, focusing on politics, defence, and women’s issues. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience reporting from East…Read More
Kamalika Sengupta is the Editor (East) at CNN-News18 / News18.com, focusing on politics, defence, and women’s issues. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience reporting from East… Read More
November 27, 2025, 4:39 PM IST
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