The party alleged that the ruling Trinamool Congress' activists or their spouses have been appointed as BLOs to give the party electoral benefits in the 2026 assembly polls in the state.

“Despite drawing attention of respective district magistrates as well district electoral officers (DEOs) the improper appointment of BLOs continues. In most cases the incumbent BLO is directly a TMC activist/worker or linked through his/her spouse,” stated a complaint lodged by the BJP with the Election Commission of India (ECI).

“With the enumeration phase of the SIR just days away, complaints regarding the wrong appointment of BLOs continue, which will vitiate the process. Since West Bengal will be poll-bound in a few months, there will not be any chance to correct the wrong done by the BLOs who clearly have a party affiliation,” the BJP claimed.

On the other hand, BLOs belonging to a newly-floated platform ‘BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee’ backed by the Trinamool Congress staged a march on Monday afternoon in the city protesting what it describes as excessive workload and “systemic lapses” in the exercise.

The march, which started from Sealdah area around 12.30 pm, reached the CEO office at BBD Bag around 2 pm and staged a protest demanding extension of the deadline for digitisation of enumeration forms.

The agitating BLOs alleged that the national poll body is working as a BJP agent. Two BLOs have died by suicide triggered by SIR-related work pressure and another succumbed to a cerebral attack since 9 November in the state.

Hours after BLO Rinku Tarafdar, a 53-year-old para teacher of a local school in Krishnagar in Nadia district, died by suicide on Thursday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the Election Commission of India (ECI), asking how many more BLOs must die under the SIR drive.