The death of a 53-year-old Booth Level Officer (BLO) in Murshidabad district has triggered renewed concern over the pressure faced by grassroots election workers during the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

The deceased, Maya Mukherjee, was a resident of Sripur in Hariharpara and served as the BLO for polling station number 251 under the Hariharpara Assembly constituency. By profession, she was an Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) teacher.

Family alleges stress linked to election duties

According to her son Rubel, Mukherjee had earlier suffered a massive heart attack due to panic and was admitted to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital. Although she had recently returned home after treatment, her anxiety reportedly worsened due to fears of backlash from voters during the ongoing SIR exercise.

“She was constantly worried that angry voters might attack her or our family if their names were deleted from the electoral rolls,” Rubel said. He added that she suffered another massive heart attack early on Friday morning and died at home.

Political reactions reflect sharp divide

The incident has drawn strong political reactions. Hariharpara Trinamool Congress MLA Niyamat Sheikh condoled Mukherjee’s death and expressed solidarity with the bereaved family.

“We condemn the Election Commission for this death. We are with the family and will seek justice by informing our leader Abhishek Banerjee,” Sheikh said.

However, Berhampore BJP MLA Subrata Moitra dismissed the allegations, stating that while any death was unfortunate, the ruling party was politicising a natural death.

Rising concern over BLO safety

Mukherjee’s death comes amid reports of increased stress among BLOs involved in the Special Intensive Revision, a crucial but demanding exercise to update electoral rolls. The incident has intensified calls for better safeguards, workload management, and mental health support for frontline election workers.

Authorities have not officially linked her death to election duties, and further details are awaited.