In Bengal SIR survey done, BLOs relieved: ‘It’s like we have passed the test’

“It’s like we’ve passed the test,” Ayesha says with a laugh, who was appointed as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) for the SIR exercise in the state. “I’m happy – most names are up, and I can finally breathe.”

The SIR exercise began on November 4 with the enumeration phase, in which the BLOs carried out a door-to-door survey of distributing forms. The EC published West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls on Tuesday, a milestone that feels like more than just a routine update for the thousands of BLOs involved.

The SIR process had turned Ayesha’s life upside down. Her days were filled with door-to-door visits and late-night digital data entries, leaving her juggling childcare with a patchwork of support.

She credits her husband for being her backbone, who not only helped with attending to their children, aged 4 and 9 years, but also sat with her to help with the digitization process once she returned home.

“Leaving my kids until late was the toughest part. Sometimes I left them with neighbours, my elderly mother, or relatives,” recalls Ayesha, who works as a para-teacher at Baitulmal Girls High School.

To ensure that the data was uploaded correctly, she often waited until the house was quiet.  “I would stay awake to digitize forms late at night because the internet speed was better then. I didn’t even let my kids touch my phone—you could only use one device for this work.”

Now, at Taki House, Ayesha and her fellow Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are a reassuring presence for voters. While the ECI promotes online checks, many residents still value the personal touch. “They can check online, but then they trust us,” Ayesha says, handing out a Form 6 to a prospective voter.

“They want to confirm it with their BLO.”

Even as she speaks, a passerby interrupts. “I checked online and my name is there,” the voter says, “but since I was passing by, I thought I would double-check with you.”

Ayesha confirms his details with a patient nod. It is this trust that makes the “impossible task” feel worth it.

Ayesha isn’t alone in her efforts. Next to her, Mohammad Irshad Ahmad, a BLO for the Beleghata Constituency, is still on the case — tracking down a “genuine voter” whose name was missed due to a software glitch. A group of female BLOs, at Raja Bazar KMCP School, in central Kolkata,  shared light moments, reflecting on the first phase of the SIR process.

“I feel a weight-off on my shoulders,” said Pinki Jaiswal, a young BLO, smiling as she prepared to help people with queries. She arrived with bundles of Form 6, 8, and the draft roll, feeling accomplished—her voters’ names made it to the draft roll, and she met her deadline.

“Teachers play an important role in our lives today. We are happy that we have played a further important role for our society. If it ends well it seems worth doing,” said two teachers cum BLOs Aparna Biswas and Jhuma Manna.

However, the journey to the  draft roll was arduous, with BLOs across West Bengal facing stress and illness. West Bengal’s CEO also called them the “real heroes” and “foot soldiers” of democracy.

“Digitization was the most challenging. We had targets while sometimes servers were down, many of us were not that tech savvy. Now we have been asked to sit from 17 dec till Jan 15 and listen to queries, distribute Form 6 and Form 8,”  says Mithu Samanta, a BLO of 121 Beleghata (AC No. 164).

“Maximum people are coming to ask if their name is there and if not what they are supposed to do. It was a tedious job,” said Mohammad Shahid, a school teacher at Mohammad Jaan High School.

“It is sad that some lost lives as everyone is not mentally very strong. There should have been operators to help with technical things. No one had issues with field work, the problem was with digitization. Time span was very less. Not everyone has an iPhone,” he added.

The BLOs, meanwhile, are now shifting gears, with their focus on addressing voter queries and distributing forms until January 15, the deadline for the post-SIR process. The claims and objection window is available from the date of publishing the draft roll.

BLOs Chumki Dutta and Mahua Biswas, while fielding queries about the documents needed for new voter registrations, said, “We’re counting down to January 15. After which we’ll treat ourselves to a small outing—maybe a restaurant visit—before diving back into school life.”

For Shabnam Chowdhary, a BLO from North Kolkata, it’s more valuable than any commendation: A quiet family time without a stack of forms or a flickering upload bar between them.