Malda Booth Officer Dies Under Immense Electoral Pressure, Family Points Finger at Election Commission
A 60-year-old booth-level officer (BLO) in Malda, West Bengal, succumbed to a cardiac arrest on Friday, with his family attributing his death to the overwhelming stress caused by his electoral duties. The deceased, Abul Barkat, a retired madrassa teacher, had been grappling with immense pressure ever since a staggering 579 out of 900 voters in his assigned booth were placed under adjudication by the Election Commission.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest After Months of Strain
Barkat complained of severe chest pain on Thursday night and was immediately rushed to Malda Medical College, where he was declared dead. He leaves behind his wife and three children. His family members revealed that not a single day passed without voters approaching him, demanding explanations for why their names were marked under adjudication and questioning whether they would be permitted to vote.
"People started threatening my father, holding him responsible for their names being under adjudication. My father worked till late in the night through the month of Ramzan," said his son, Hasib Aktar, highlighting the personal threats and relentless workload.
A Retirement Overshadowed by Electoral Duties
Barkat had retired from his teaching position on February 28, coinciding with the very day the Election Commission published the state's voter list, which placed a massive 60 lakh voters under adjudication statewide. He had been serving as the BLO for booth number 513 since November 4. Upon the list's publication, it was discovered that a concerning 64.3% of voters in his booth were marked under adjudication.
"The tremendous workload prevented my father from enjoying his retirement. The EC is responsible for his death," Aktar asserted, emphasizing the direct link between his father's untimely demise and his official responsibilities.
Administrative Burden and Political Blame Game
Family members detailed that Barkat was compelled to make frequent visits to administrative offices and work late into the night processing documents to address the adjudication issues. This tragic incident marks the second death of a BLO in Sujapur during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls. A 55-year-old BLO named Anikul Alam died under similar circumstances on February 19.
The incident has sparked a political blame game. Trinamool Congress district leader Subhomoy Basu squarely blamed the BJP and the Election Commission, alleging, "This is BJP's design, executed by EC — to leave such a large number of voters under adjudication. They are responsible for these deaths. The number of which has already crossed 143."
In response, BJP's Nilanjan Das rejected the allegations, countering, "If anyone is responsible for this death, it is the CM and her administration. They did not cooperate with EC to ensure a smooth process."
A Pattern of Pressure and Tragedy
The family reiterated that the 579 adjudicated voters in Barkat's booth would often visit him at home, with some resorting to threats, creating an environment of constant anxiety and pressure. This case underscores the severe human toll and administrative challenges associated with large-scale voter list revisions, raising critical questions about the support systems and workload management for grassroots electoral officials.
