Special Revision in Assam Aimed at Ensuring Accurate Voter Rolls: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Guwahati: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Wednesday said the Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam was undertaken solely to ensure that all eligible voters are included and ineligible names removed ahead of the Assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference at the end of a three-day review visit to the state, Kumar said Assam required a separate exercise as it is the only state where the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process is nearly complete.

“As per law, revision of electoral rolls is mandatory before elections. Accordingly, a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was carried out in 12 states, while a Special Revision was conducted in Assam,” he said.

The CEC maintained that the exercise in Assam had been smooth and largely undisputed.

He also noted that only around 500 individuals from across the state’s districts have filed appeals seeking inclusion of their names or raising objections to entries in the draft rolls.

On whether the Assembly polls could be scheduled before the Bohag Bihu festival beginning April 13, Kumar said the festival holds deep cultural significance in Assam and all feedback received during consultations with political parties and stakeholders would be taken into account before finalising the poll schedule.

The full bench of the Election Commission of India, including Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, was in the state to assess preparedness for the upcoming Assembly elections.

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