Amid BLO suicides, EC faces heat over boogie-woogie video

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 states and Union Territories, during which over a dozen Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) have reportedly died by suicide, allegedly due to work pressure, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has sparked outrage with a social media video. 

The latest such suicide by a BLO was reported from UP’s Moradabad on Monday. Even as reports of BLOs killing themselves circulated, the ECI on Sunday evening shared a video of a dance instructor making a hall full of BLOs in Kerala groove to a rocking number, with “boogie-woogie” in the lyrics. The clip from what the ECI said to be a part of the “SIR Joyathon” has drawn sharp criticism, with many calling it tone-deaf and insensitive at a time when BLOs are under immense stress and some

are resorting to taking their own lives. Though the ECI must have been well-meaning in sharing the video, the timing made it the target of criticism.

The 48-second video carried the on-screen text, “A quick break, a stronger team”, and added that Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar, IAS, along with Thiruvananthapuram District Collector Anu Kumari, IAS, had also joined in.

The clip said the dance session was part of the “SIR Joyathon”, a district-level drive meant to “inject energy and fun into the revision exercise”. It added that the campaign ran from November 29 to November 30. The video also highlighted a format, “50 minutes of work and 10 minutes of fun”, featuring music, zumba, mimicry, stretching, and sharing activities.

However, the ECI’s attempt at showcasing the “fun break” didn’t sit well with many, who slammed the constitutional body as tone-deaf and insensitive at a time when BLOs are dying by suicide under alleged crushing work pressure.

Several users called out the ECI, with one person asking, “Shame on you... So many BLOs have died by suicide, and you’re busy sharing dance videos?” Another labelled the ECI “the living, breathing symbol of shamelessness”. Others said the clip felt like a “dirty joke” on the deaths of BLOs, questioning why an internal activity had to be flaunted on social media at all.

“It’s a dirty joke about the deaths of BLOs. Even if you’re conducting such activities, why put them on social media? How can anyone be this insensitive? They finally get a break, and even then you’re making them dance. Unbelievable,” the person wrote. Another person mocked the premise itself, wondering who, in the middle of a “hectic schedule”, would want to dance during their limited break instead of simply sitting down. Another person argued that those truly under pressure are on the field, not the ones posting celebratory videos online. Congress Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, Pramod Tiwari, on Monday claimed that over 20 BLOs had died due to “SIR pressure”, questioning how many more lives the exercise will claim.