"Temporary Voters" From Other States In Assam Draft Poll Rolls, Alleges Congress

The Assam Congress has expressed alarm over the alleged inclusion of "temporary voters" from other states in the draft electoral rolls, published after a Special Revision (SR) of the voter lists, calling it an attempt at "vote chori" to tilt the odds in favour of the ruling BJP ahead of the polls.

The BJP has termed the allegations as bogus. 

Earlier today, Congress ex-MP Ripun Bora alleged a major conspiracy involving the Election Commission, the BJP, and the Assam government in the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of the voter lists.

Assam has registered a 1.35 per cent increase in the number of voters as per the integrated draft electoral roll for the state, published on December 30 after the Special Revision was conducted.

The opposition party in the state has claimed that the draft voter list released provides no scope for filing objections, as no changes or details have been clearly shown. He alleged that the draft voter list appears to be a repetition of the 2025  voter list, raising serious concerns over transparency.

The party further said that the final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on February 10, and if the names of thousands of voters, particularly Congress supporters, are deleted, there would be no effective opportunity to lodge complaints.

"Once the final list is published, the election process will begin, leaving affected voters with no option except approaching the courts. Seeking justice through the courts takes time, and this process has been deliberately designed that way," Ripun Bora alleged.

The former MP also cited an alleged video conference held on January 4 by the Assam BJP president with district presidents and MLAs, during which instructions were allegedly given to identify and remove voters opposing the BJP. 

According to Bora, district units were allegedly asked to submit such lists by January 12, targeting voters across nearly 60 constituencies.

On Saturday, a Congress-led all-party delegation would submit a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Assam, followed by a similar exercise before the Chief Election Commissioner in New Delhi.

Earlier, Assam's Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging "serious irregularities" in the draft electoral rolls of the state. He demanded the halt of the finalisation of the electoral rolls until "all irregularities are thoroughly verified and resolved".

"I am writing to express my deep concern regarding serious irregularities observed during the ongoing SR of electoral rolls in Assam. Media reports and ground-level feedback indicate unauthorised inclusion of non-Assamese speaking voters and other procedural lapses that threaten the integrity of the electoral process," Saikia said in his letter to Kumar on Monday.

He alleged that specific instances have come to light where "unknown" persons have been added as voters in households without the knowledge of residents.

Saikia cited examples of four non-Assamese individuals enrolled at House No 44 and 15 on Tayabulla Road in Guwahati unbeknownst to the family, while voter entries have been seen against non-existent Household No 00 in the Nazira constituency.

"Such malpractice often goes unnoticed, potentially leading to these 'unknown' voters casting their ballots...The inclusion of entries under such fabricated designations not only breaches procedural norms but also severely compromises the verifiability and integrity of the electoral roll, casting serious doubt on the authenticity of the entire revision process," the Congress legislator claimed.

Sounding caution, Saikia said such samples of "violations" pose a "grave threat" to the democratic values and the security of the people of Assam, including the constitutional rights and socio-cultural heritage.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reiterated that the preparation of electoral rolls falls solely under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission of India.

"There is time till January 22 to raise objections. Political parties should use institutional mechanisms instead of protests," CM Sarma said.