6 months ago
1
Booth level officers (BLO) nether the banner of Left and Congress-led work organisations successful Kerala connected Monday (November 17, 2025) staged large-scale protests implicit the decease of Payyannur BLO Aneesh George, demanding that the Election Commission of India (ECI) defer the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) until aft the section assemblage elections are implicit successful the State.
Following George’s death, work organisations had announced that BLOs would boycott SIR enactment connected Monday.
Marches taken retired to the bureau of Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan Kelkar were blocked by the constabulary extracurricular the Kerala Legislative Assembly successful Thiruvananthapuram. The Action Council of State Government Employees’ and Teachers and the enactment assembly representing the work organisations of teachers, the Kerala NGO Association and the Secretariat Action Council took retired abstracted marches to the State Assembly analyzable wherever the CEO has his office.
Protests were besides held successful assorted districts extracurricular the offices of Returning Officers.
At a property league up of the protestation successful Thiruvananthapuram, the Joint Council of State Service Organisations slammed the ECI determination to spell up with the SIR successful Kerala ignoring demands for its postponement. Joint assembly leaders besides accused the CEO and the Kannur District Collector of “parading misleading information” with respect to the decease of George and the information connected the organisation of enumeration forms.
Claims challenged
Council leaders challenged the assertion of Mr. Kelkar’s bureau that 94.5% of the forms person been distributed.
Terming the fig baseless, associated assembly wide caput K.P. Gopakumar said BLOs were being forced to upload mendacious information stating that they person distributed the forms. Joint assembly leaders refuted the Kannur District Collector’s assertion that George had lone 50 much forms near to distribute.
To bolster their claim, associated assembly leaders besides released a announcement purportedly issued by the Electoral Registration Officer, Nenmara and Alathur, instructing BLOs to guarantee 100% organisation by November 15 oregon look punitive enactment nether the Representation of People Act.
“We are not saying that the SIR should not beryllium conducted successful the State. All we are asking for is much clip for the BLOs. It is humanly intolerable for them to sojourn houses and administer the forms wrong the timeframe acceptable by the commission. They are burdened with treble work related to the SIR and the section assemblage elections,” Mr. Gopakumar said.
Mr. Gopakumar said they had written a missive to Mr. Kelkar connected November 5 requesting him to halt the SIR till the section assemblage elections are over. “In his reply connected November 13, helium had explained his helplessness successful the substance stating that the determination rested with the ECI. On November 15, we wrote a missive to the ECI requesting it to postpone the SIR for the clip being,” helium said.
