Controversy Erupts Over West Bengal's Electoral Roll Revision

Members of the BLO Unity Platform protested the deletion of voters in West Bengal's draft electoral roll, claiming a link between the Election Commission and India's central government. The EC removed over 58 lakh voters for reasons like death and migration, triggering an outcry among booth-level officers.

Around 200 booth-level officers (BLOs) staged a protest outside the West Bengal CEO's office, expressing outrage over the deletion of thousands of genuine voter names from the draft electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The BLO Unity Platform accused the Election Commission of conniving with the central BJP government to disenfranchise voters. This follows the EC's publication of West Bengal's draft electoral rolls, which omitted more than 58 lakh names due to reasons ranging from deaths to unsubmitted enumeration forms.

Despite ongoing protests, the state's Chief Election Officer reported no verified cases of BLO deaths due to stress, contradicting claims from protesters demanding accountability and compensation.

(With inputs from agencies.)