Facing outrage following the suicide of booth-level officer (BLO) Aneesh George in Kannur, reportedly due to job stress from SIR (Special Intensive Revision) work, the Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala, has sought the help of political parties. In a press note issued here on Tuesday, the CEO, Kerala, said that parties are being requested to nominate additional Booth Level Agents (BLAs) and to establish help desks for collecting filled forms from voters, as permitted under the guidelines of the Election Commission of India. 

The CEO has directly appealed to the political parties when the leaders have explicitly expressed objections to the SIR. The Muslim League has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, and the Congress has also declared its intention to pursue legal action against the SIR. The state government has also prayed to the SC that the SIR be postponed until the local body polls conclude in Kerala. It has cited issues in implementing the SIR as it upsets the local body election schedule. 

The CEO, Kerala, exuded hope that the participation of political parties by deploying more BLAs could help the BLOs. "Such initiatives will further ease the workload of BLOs and support efficient completion of the exercise," Rathan U Kelkar, CEO, Kerala, said.

He acknowledged the committed efforts of BLOs across the state and said that over 96 per cent of the enumeration forms have already been distributed as part of the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls.

He also added that the District Administrations have taken comprehensive measures to facilitate the BLOs in collecting the filled forms to further ensure smooth and timely completion of the remaining stages. These include setting up special camps, extending local logistical support, and establishing centres equipped with technical and infrastructure facilities to assist BLOs in the digitisation of forms in a time-bound manner.

The BLOs across Kerala boycotted SIR work as a mark of protest against mounting work pressure and unrealistic targets on Monday. The CEO, Kerala, however, said the SIR process is progressing effectively as a collective team effort, with coordinated support from election machinery, district officials, and field staff, ensuring that no BLO or election official faces any hardship during the operations.