Municipal teachers from Versova oppose pre-SIR work

The election duties assigned to them include door-to-door visits for verification of voter details, and tallying names in the existing voter list with the final electoral roll prepared during the last special revision

MUMBAI: Around 292 teachers from municipal schools in the Versova assembly constituency are refusing to work on the pre-Special Intensive Revision (pre-SIR) assigned by the State Election Commission during the ongoing examination period. These teachers are Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and also responsible for teaching and supervising students during annual exams.

Ghaziabad India - November 27 2025 : BLOs carry out Special Intensive Revision work of the electoral rolls in Dasna, even as 21 BLOs were booked in an FIR lodged by the Ghaziabad district administration, in Ghaziabad , India on Thursday, November 27 2025. (Photo by Sakib Ali /Hindustan Times)

The election duties assigned to them include door-to-door visits for verification of voter details, and tallying names in the existing voter list with the final electoral roll prepared during the last special revision. Election officials said the exercise is aimed at improving the accuracy and reliability of voter data.

The Election Commission allotted these duties on February 4 and instructed the teachers to report for work from February 5. However, the teachers did not report to work, saying it clashed with their academic responsibilities. Many of them are involved in conducting annual examinations for students from Class 1 to Class 9, apart from preparing students for assessments.

A teacher who received the assignment said they are finding it difficult to juggle academic work and election duties. “Election officials allow exceptions to teachers involved in Class 10 and Class 12 examinations. Likewise, we also have an annual exam schedule for Classes 1 to 9, so we are requesting the Election Commission to allow us time till the end of the examinations,” the teacher said.

Another teacher said election duties usually start after school hours, but this time the work requires them to report early in the morning. “Now we have to reach at least three to four hours early. My school work is in the second half, so I would have to reach Versova in the morning for home visits,” another teacher said. “Based on past experience, each BLO may have to visit 200 to 300 homes,” the teacher added.

Rushikant Ghosalkar, member of the Municipal Samarth Kamgar Sanghatan, said, “Teachers have to conduct practice exams and support students during annual examinations. We will discuss this issue in our meeting on Saturday and decide a future course of action.”