Kerala BLO's Sudden Demise: Election Stress Blamed in Tragic Incident

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A 31-year-old school employee, Aneesh George, working as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in north Kerala's Payyannur district, was found dead in his house on Sunday. Local sources and the family alleged that George took his own life due to unbearable work pressure related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The deceased was a peon at a local government school and had been working under immense stress to meet the deadline for SIR-related tasks. According to a close family friend, Shyam, George had been working till 2 am on Sunday and had complained about the heavy workload and job stress caused by the SIR tasks. The family claims that George was under immense pressure to complete the tasks, which included filling and distributing forms to the designated area. The incident has sparked a debate about the implementation of SIR in Kerala, with major political parties like CPI(M) and Congress expressing their concerns. CPI(M) leader M V Jayarajan has urged the Election Commission to halt the implementation of SIR until the local body polls are over, citing the extreme workload faced by BLOs. Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala, Rathan U Kelkar, has assured that a report will be sought from the district collector and a police investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of George's death. Kelkar also clarified that BLOs are only required to work on SIR-related tasks for 31 days and that there is usually no chance of work pressure. The incident highlights the need for the Election Commission to reassess the workload and stress faced by BLOs during the SIR process, ensuring that they are not overburdened and can perform their duties without undue stress.