Communist Party of India (CPI) State secretary Binoy Viswam has demanded the Election Commission of India (EC) to urgently extend the deadline of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Mr. Viswam was reacting to the news of the alleged suicide of a booth-level officer (BLO), Aneesh George, in Kannur district on Sunday (November 16, 2025). The CPI State secretary said he has also written a letter to the EC with this demand.
Meanwhile, Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar said he has sought a report on the incident from the District Collector, Kannur.
Mr. Viswam said the incident should be an eye-opener to the Commission as it pointed to the unfair work load on the BLOs. “This tragedy has been caused by the unbearable work load on the BLOs caused by the EC’s decision to go ahead with the SIR just when Kerala is also preparing for the local body elections,” Mr. Viswam said.
He accused the EC of aiding the policies of the ruling political party at the Centre. “Aneesh is the first victim in Kerala of this policy,” he said.
Secretariat protests
The Secretariat Action Council described Aneesh as “a victim of SIR.” Action council convener M.S. Ershad said the BLOs are facing severe physical and mental stress with election officials pressuring them to complete the enumeration ahead of the deadline. The BLOs are also being threatened with disciplinary action, he alleged. The action council has demanded the Commission to announce a compensation of ₹1 crore to Aneesh’s family and also convene a meeting of service organisations on the SIR.
Major political parties including the CPI(M), the Congress, the CPI and the IUML had repeated their demand that the SIR be halted till the local body elections are over at a weekly review meeting convened by Mr. Kelkar on Saturday.
Published – November 16, 2025 05:18 pm IST
