Rahul Gandhi calls out ‘afra tafri’ during SIR, says ‘16 BLOs died in three weeks’

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday that “chaos” has been unleashed across the country in the garb of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls and alleged that 16 Booth Level Officers have died due to stress.

The SIR is underway in nine States and three Union Territories. The first phase of SIR was held in Bihar ahead of the State’s assembly elections.

“Under the guise of SIR, chaos has been unleashed across the country – the result? In three weeks, 16 BLOs have lost their lives. Heart attacks, stress, suicides – SIR is no reform, it’s an imposed tyranny,” Rahul Gandhi alleged in a post on X in Hindi.

“SIR is a calculated ploy – where citizens are being harassed and the deaths of BLOs from unnecessary pressure are dismissed as “collateral damage.” This is not a failure, it’s a conspiracy – a sacrifice of democracy to protect those in power,” the Congress MP alleged.

According to the media report shared by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, 16 BLOs have died in six states, including four each in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, three in West Bengal, two in Rajasthan, and one each in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

After the death of the BLO in West Bengal sparked a political row, Governor CV Ananda Bose on Sunday said that the death of BLO Shanti Muni Ekka, who allegedly took her own life due to “unbearable pressure” from the SIR of electoral rolls work, will be examined in detail.

“In such a situation, it is better to avoid a knee-jerk reaction. What the Chief Minister said has to be examined in detail. I am sure we have an Election Commission which is strong enough and has a balanced outlook. All these issues can be examined properly and appropriate solutions found, but what is required is free and fair elections in this country,” the Governor said.

BLO commits suicide in West Bengal

A woman working as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in West Bengal’s Nadia district was found hanging at her residence on Saturday, with her family members claiming that she was under considerable SIR work-related stress and died by suicide, police said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock over the BLO’s death and said this has become “truly alarming now”.

In a “suicide note” shared by the chief minister on social media, the woman held the ECI responsible.

Also, two teachers who worked as BLOs for the SIR exercise died of “illness” in Raisen and Damoh districts of Madhya Pradesh on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress will hold an internal meeting on November 24, to be chaired by party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

The objective of this meeting will be a SIR-related review, improvements across many places and districts, and ensuring that no names are left out.

CM Mamata Banerjee will meet the Matua community in Bongaon, North 24 Parganas, on November 25.

The final elector’s list is to be published on February 7, 2026.

These states and UTs include Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

(With inputs from agencies)