Lucknow, Nov. 28 -- The issue of death of booth level officers (BLOs) involved in Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has now turned into a full fledged political battle in Uttar Pradesh. The Samajwadi Party has announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased BLOs in the state and has also demanded Election Commission a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the dependents of the deceased. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has alleged that the inhumane treatment and mental pressure being inflicted on BLOs by giving them impractical SIR targets is highly condemnable and deeply objectionable. "The BJP has not created new jobs, but has made existing ones so difficult that people are forced to quit in frustration. It is inhumane to expect BLOs to forget their homes and families and work like machines by giving them impossible targets that cannot be met. The BJP is doing all this for its electoral scam, but the question is: why should BLOs who are leaving their jobs out of frustration or even risking their lives suffer the consequences of this political swindle?," said Akhilesh Yadav in a statement issued on Thursday. The SP chief has also said that holding BLOs responsible for any mistakes is unjustified under any circumstances. "BLOs are losing their lives due to the failure of the BJP government and the Election Commission. The right to vote is a constitutional right; voters should be respected, not humiliated by engaging in the SIR process, which causes numerous problems. The BJP wants to eliminate the right to vote. There is a risk that millions of people in Uttar Pradesh will have their votes cancelled. The BJP government, fearful of the PDA, is hatching all kinds of conspiracies," he said....