STAFF REPORTER
Guwahati: Hundreds of Youth Congress workers staged a massive demonstration in Guwahati on Friday, opposing the Election Commission of India’s Special Revision (SR) of the state’s voter list ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections. The protest, held at the Manabendra Sharma Complex, drew significant public and media attention.
Protesters alleged that the special revision process was politically motivated and could lead to large-scale irregularities, undermining the democratic rights of the people of Assam. A key point of contention was a provision allowing individuals arriving in the state just two days before polling to register and vote—something the Youth Congress claimed could be misused to influence election outcomes.
The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) and its youth wing have strongly criticized the Election Commission’s November 17 decision, which sets January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date and February 10, 2026, for the final publication of the revised electoral rolls.
The protest witnessed the participation of Uday Bhanu Chib, the National President of the Indian Youth Congress. Addressing the gathering, he accused the BJP of orchestrating “vote theft” through the special revision process.
However, tensions escalated when Assam Police launched a crackdown on protestors. Several leaders—including Mritendra Darshan Singh, National General Secretary of the Youth Congress and Assam in-charge, and Zubair Anam, President of the Assam Pradesh Youth Congress—were detained and taken to the 10th Assam Police Battalion camp.
According to the Youth Congress, many workers sustained injuries during what they described as a “brutal police assault”.
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