Don’t Push BLOs to Death Anymore: Binoy Viswam

Thiruvananthapuram: CPI Kerala state secretary Binoy Viswam on Sunday urged the Election Commission to extend the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process without exerting pressure on Booth Level Officers (BLOs), following the suicide of Kannur BLO Aneesh George.

Viswam said Aneesh George, who reportedly faced intense stress while handling SIR duties along with other election responsibilities, should not become a precedent. He described the incident as a warning to the Election Commission about the mounting workload and mental strain faced by BLOs.

He alleged that the Commission was functioning like a manager of the ruling BJP, acting in line with the wishes of the central government, and claimed that the pressure being imposed on BLOs was unreasonable during the peak of election-related work.

Calling Aneesh George the “first sacrifice” of this approach, Viswam said he had written to the Election Commission seeking an extension of the SIR timeline.