Assam Opposition Alleges BJP Conspiracy to Manipulate Voter Rolls Ahead of 2026 Elections
Opposition Parties Unite Against Alleged Electoral Manipulation
Guwahati, Jan 9: On Friday, various opposition parties in Assam lodged a formal complaint at the Dispur Police Station, claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is plotting to alter electoral rolls in preparation for the upcoming 2026 Assam Assembly elections.
The complaint was jointly filed by the Congress, CPI(M), Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), and CPI(ML)L.
It specifically names Dilip Saikia, the president of Assam BJP, alleging that he has devised a scheme to remove the names of opposition supporters from voter lists across 60 legislative assembly constituencies (LACs).
As per the allegations, Saikia reportedly assigned Assam cabinet minister Ashok Singhal the task of executing these deletions during a Zoom meeting held on January 4, 2026.
According to the complaint, “BJP MLAs were directed to take necessary actions for the removal of names in 60 LACs, with the responsibility given to Minister Ashok Singhal.”
The opposition parties described this as an “evil design” aimed at disenfranchising their supporters and urged the police to secure and review the video conference footage, which they believe holds vital evidence.
The complaint characterized the alleged actions as part of a “larger conspiracy to erase the names of numerous legitimate voters from the electoral rolls” and called for the registration of a case under relevant legal provisions to “protect democracy.”
While the Dispur Police Station confirmed the receipt of the complaint, it did not specify whether a First Information Report (FIR) had been filed by the time of this report.
Leaders from Congress, AJP, Raijor Dal, and CPI(M) were present during the submission of the complaint.
Among those present were Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, former Congress MP Ripun Bora, Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress President Mira Borthakur, Assam Jatiya Parishad President Lurinjyoti Gogoi, and Raijor Dal leader Rasel Hussain.
In a press interaction, Ripun Bora claimed that explicit instructions were given during the January 4 video conference.
“MLAs and district presidents were instructed to compile lists of individuals who would not support the BJP and submit these lists to the Election Commission for name removals,” Bora asserted. He further accused Dilip Saikia of breaching Election Commission regulations and stated that the opposition would seek action against him.
AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi accused the ruling party of trying to manipulate the electoral process out of fear of losing.
“The BJP has orchestrated a conspiracy to secure victory in the 2026 elections through vote theft. They have come to realize that they cannot win fairly this time,” he claimed, demanding the release of the video call footage if Saikia did not make such statements.
In a separate allegation, Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia previously claimed that the BJP was planning extensive irregularities in Assam’s voter lists.
On January 4, he alleged that a “secret directive” had been issued to add between 5,000 to 10,000 non-Assamese names in each constituency at the last minute to sway the elections.
He also mentioned that some names were added without the knowledge of local residents, citing examples of non-Assamese voters appearing in household lists.
A Special Revision (SR) of the electoral rolls is currently in progress in Assam, with the final voter list set to be published on February 10.