Assam's Final Electoral Rolls Released Amid Controversy Over Voter Deletions

Guwahati: The final electoral rolls for poll-bound Assam was released by theElection Commissionon Tuesday with 2.43 lakh names deleted from the draft roll after a Special Revision (SR). Experience a more refined e-paper today A statement issued by the office of Chief Electoral Officer, Assam said the final rolls contained names of 2,49,58,139 electorates, against 2,52,01624 voters in the draft roll, which was published on December 27. This was a decrease of 0.97 per cent from the draft rolls, the statement said. Unlike theSpecial Intensive Revision (SIR), conducted in 12 other states and Union Territories, a Special Revision (SR) was carried out in Assam through a door-to-door verification, between November 22 and December 20 last year. The SR did not require form-filling or document submission. The voters were allowed to file claims and objections between December 27 and January 22. The draft roll after the SR 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. The SR exercise recorded 7,86,841 additions and 4,47,196 deletions. Officials identified 4,78,992 deceased electors, 5,23,680 shifted electors and 53,619 multiple entries during the process. The Election Commission said it will process these names for deletion or shifting only after formal applications during the claims and objections period. The CEO office said the voters can lodge appeal with the district magistrates within 15-days and can also move the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer within 30-days. Oppn alleges 'illegal removal' of Muslim voters The SR in Assam, however, was not without controversy as the Congress-led Opposition parties alleged that the ruling BJP was trying to illegally delete or remove names of genuine voters, particularly the Muslims. They moved the EC and even wrote to the Supreme Court seeking intervention. Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi alleged that BJP resorted to "vote chori" tactics in Assam too to avoid its "sure defeat" in the Assembly elections in March-April. The BJP and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, interestingly, added to the controversy saying they tried to remove names of the "Miyas," a derogatory term used to refer to the Bengali-speaking Muslims. BJP leaders openly said they would ensure that names of those evicted from forests and government land (Bengali-speaking Muslims) are removed from electoral rolls. Thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslims have been evicted since 2021, when BJP formed the government for the second term. The SIR was not conducted in Assam as the NRC exercise remained incomplete. Sarma, however, recently said they would try to remove names of 4 to 5 lakh "Bangladeshis" when the SIR exercise is carried out.