Guwahati: 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, published after a Special Revision (SR).
The senior Congress leader demanded the halt of the finalisation of the electoral rolls until “all irregularities are thoroughly verified and resolved” to ensure the removal of any unauthorised or “unknown” voter entries.
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 SR was conducted, with months left for the assembly elections.
“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.
“Additionally, this incident reinforces Rahul Gandhi’s allegation to the ECI regarding vote manipulation in the electorate’s consciousness and exposes an extensive systemic problem,” he added.
Reacting to the opposition’s allegations on draft roll, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that anyone who has any objections can “fill Form No 6, 7 and 8 to effect changes in the final electoral roll” as per the established norm.
“Instead of crying foul in the media, the opposition should follow set procedures if they have any genuine concerns,” he added.
Saikia also pointed out that the electoral draft has seen the “removal of more than 10 lakh individuals for various reasons”, but the emergence of discrepancies suggests that the credibility of the electoral roll has been “compromised”.
“Therefore, data verification is of the utmost importance before finalisation of the electoral roll…These malpractices do not merely violate procedural norms; they represent a breach of the fundamental protections enshrined in Clause 6 of the Assam Accord and disregard the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s directive to uphold this constitutional safeguard,” he said.
In this context, such irregularities can be construed as an alleged attempt to “manipulate” the upcoming electoral process, thereby “undermining” the decisive voice of the legitimate electorate of Assam, the Congress leader said with apprehension.
“These discrepancies not only violate electoral guidelines but also undermine public trust in the democratic process. Considering these issues, I urge the Election Commission of India to take immediate steps to safeguard the credibility of the electoral roll and ensure a free and fair electoral process,” he added.
Saikia demanded that the CEC conduct a swift and transparent investigation into all reported discrepancies and make the findings public.
“Halt the finalisation of electoral rolls until all irregularities are thoroughly verified and resolved, ensuring the removal of any unauthorised or ‘unknown’ voter entries,” he said.
Saikia also asked the poll panel to implement a uniform addressing system and strengthen verification protocols to prevent such issues.
“Elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, and any compromise in the accuracy of electoral rolls erodes public confidence and democratic values. I trust the ECI will take decisive action to uphold the sanctity of the electoral process in Assam,” he added.
The draft roll reflected a total of 2,52,01,624 electors, representing a 1.35 per cent increase from the previous final roll published in January 2025.
A total of 7,86,841 additions and 4,47,196 deletions have taken place from January 6 to December 27 last year.
During the SR process, 4,78,992 deceased electors and 5,23,680 shifted voters were identified. Another 53,619 multiple entries were detected.
The Election Commission, however, said that these names have not yet been deleted. These will only be processed for removal or shifting after formal applications are received during the current claims and objections period.
Claims and objections can be filed from December 27 to January 22, with special campaign dates fixed for January 3-4 and January 10-11.
The final electoral roll will be published on February 10.
