Noida Teacher Resigns as Booth Level Officer, Cites SIR Pressure; 71 BLOs Face FIRs for Negligence

Noida: An assistant teacher posted at Geja Higher Primary School in Sector-94, Noida, has tendered her resignation from the additional responsibility of Booth Level Officer (BLO), stating that she can no longer manage both teaching and the intensive electoral revision work simultaneously.

Pinky Singh, who was assigned as BLO for polling station Rockwood School in Sector-33 (covering 1,179 voters), wrote in her resignation letter addressed to the election authorities: “I am resigning from my job (as BLO). I won’t be able to do this work anymore. I am neither able to teach properly nor perform the BLO duties. Please inform me to whom I should hand over the election-related material.” She had already uploaded 215 voter entries online.

The resignation comes amid mounting pressure on government employees doubling as BLOs during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Gautam Buddh Nagar district, which began on November 4 and will conclude on December 4.

In a related development, police have registered FIRs against 71 BLOs and supervisors for alleged negligence and failure to comply with instructions. 

Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Sadar) and Electoral Registration Officer Ashutosh Gupta confirmed that one FIR has been filed against 60 BLOs and seven supervisors under Constituency 62-Dadri for “negligence, indifference and disobeying senior officials’ orders” during the SIR exercise. Another FIR was lodged at Dadri police station against 11 BLOs and six supervisors on similar charges.

BLOs, typically government teachers or other officials, are appointed by the Election Commission to ensure accuracy of voter lists at the grassroots level. The additional responsibility is not a separate post but comes with demanding tasks during revision drives — house-to-house verification, collection and digitisation of thousands of forms, multiple visits to voters, and uploading data and photographs through mobile apps — all while continuing their primary full-time jobs.

Several BLOs across the state have complained of extreme workload stress, strict deadlines, and mental pressure. In recent weeks, the issue has sparked controversy following reports of suicides and stress-related deaths of some personnel linked to the intensive revision exercise.

Also Read: Manipur: Police, Forces Arrest Active KCP-PWG Cadre Involved in Extortion and Arms Smuggling