Congress Protests Alleged Electoral Roll Manipulations in Assam
Protest Against Electoral Irregularities
Dispur, Jan 6: On Tuesday, a significant number of Congress activists, spearheaded by the Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress (APMC) and the Assam Pradesh Youth Congress (APYC), organized a vigorous protest outside the Manabendra Sharma Complex in Dispur. They accused the authorities of widespread irregularities in the electoral rolls and demanded accountability for alleged 'vote theft'.
The demonstrators labeled the draft electoral rolls as 'seriously flawed', claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) were manipulating voter lists to gain an unfair advantage in the upcoming Assam Assembly elections.
During the protest, chants against the BJP and the election authority echoed, with participants alleging a systematic effort to include unknown voters in local areas while removing legitimate voters' names.
Police were deployed to maintain order as tensions escalated outside the complex.
Mira Bothakur, leading the Mahila Congress group, accused the authorities of intentionally tampering with voter lists in specific areas, asserting that this was a strategy to manipulate electoral outcomes rather than ensuring fair elections.
“We vehemently oppose the BJP's efforts to influence the Assam Assembly elections through vote theft. The Election Commission appears to be acting as a BJP affiliate. We will not permit elections based on flawed electoral roll drafts,” Bothakur stated, calling for a CBI investigation into the alleged involvement of Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia.
Youth Congress leaders shared similar sentiments, warning that these alleged irregularities threaten the democratic rights of citizens in the state.
Iftekhar Younis, General Secretary of the Media Department, APCC, claimed that voters from other states were being registered in Assam during the Special Revision process, while genuine voters were being excluded.
“Rahul Gandhi previously highlighted the issue of vote theft. What we are witnessing now is the registration of voters from outside Assam in our constituencies. This conspiracy must cease,” he remarked, urging the Election Commission and the state government to focus on development rather than manipulating voter lists for electoral gain.
The protest arises amid increasing allegations from the Opposition that the latest draft of the electoral roll contains significant discrepancies, including unfamiliar names and deletions, which they argue disproportionately favor the ruling BJP.
In response, the BJP and the state government have dismissed these accusations. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has stated that the responsibility for preparing electoral rolls rests solely with the Election Commission and that political parties do not influence this process.
He has encouraged parties to report errors through the appropriate legal channels instead of making public allegations.
“The Election Commission holds full responsibility for the voters’ list. We (BJP) have no involvement in it. We will also submit our objections, as there is time until January 22 to file complaints,” Sarma mentioned during a press conference in Guwahati on Monday.
As the Assembly elections draw near, the controversy surrounding voter lists has intensified political divisions in Assam, setting the stage for a more heated debate over electoral integrity and the democratic process in the coming months.