'Chor, Chor': Suvendu Adhikari Hits Back As BLO Protesters Target BJP Delegation In Bengal

Tension escalated outside the West Bengal CEO’s office in Kolkata on Monday as members of the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee clashed with police while BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and several party MLAs arrived for a scheduled meeting with election officials.
As Adhikari later exited the premises, BLO protesters shouted “chor chor” slogans at him, prompting the BJP leader to hit back with counter-slogans such as “chor chor dur hatao, Dakat Rani dur hatao.”
Police had set up multiple layers of barricades and deployed additional forces ahead of Adhikari’s visit. Minutes after the BJP delegation entered the CEO’s office compound, protesters attempted to break through the barricades, insisting they be allowed inside to submit a memorandum. Members of the committee also raised “go back” slogans targeting the opposition leader in the state assembly, triggering heated verbal exchanges with BJP workers present at the spot.
The BLO forum, which has been agitating for days demanding better working conditions for booth-level officers (BLOs), saw its protest swell significantly on Monday. The group is seeking a two-month extension for the SIR deadline and compensation for families of deceased BLOs, citing excessive workload. Officials noted that participation from actual BLOs had initially been limited, but the crowd grew as the standoff intensified.
Inside the CEO’s office, Adhikari submitted a memorandum outlining several demands, including the removal of “superannuated IAS officers,” exclusion of EROs below SDO rank, and deletion of names he described as those of “Bangladeshi Muslims’’ from electoral rolls. He said the BJP had provided data on 17,111 booths and called for strict monitoring of hearings scheduled after December 14.
“No hearing should take place without live CCTV monitoring from the commission’s control room,” he insisted. Adhikari also alleged that the BLO protest outside was “scripted by the TMC” to halt the SIR process and “protect its vote bank.”
BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul Blames Mamata For BLOs Death
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of orchestrating the ongoing BLO protests, claiming they are not genuine BLOs but her party “cadre” aiming to halt the SIR process to protect Rohingya and Bangladeshi voters ahead of the 2026 elections.

#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal | On BLOs protest outside the Election Commission, BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul says, “… They are Mamata Banerjee’s cadre. They are not BLOs. Mamata Banerjee wants the SIR process to stop so that Rohingya and Bangladeshi voters can be saved. So that she… pic.twitter.com/O4z0WEGkbC
— ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2025

“… They are Mamata Banerjee’s cadre. They are not BLOs. Mamata Banerjee wants the SIR process to stop so that Rohingya and Bangladeshi voters can be saved. So that she can win the 2026 elections with those voters. We will not let this happen…,” Paul told news agency ANI.
She alleged that the West Bengal government failed to provide the 1,000 data entry operators requested by the Election Commission, increasing BLOs’ workload, and claimed that shifted voters and Rohingyas were coercing BLOs while entering data using OTPs. Paul demanded the installation of CCTV cameras and the presence of a central government observer during the process, holding Banerjee responsible for any stress-related deaths among BLOs due to administrative lapses.
(With inputs from agencies)