Assam: Congress protests over irregularities in draft rolls

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Congress on Tuesday staged a strong protest at the Manabendra Sharma Complex in Dispur, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) of manipulating Assam’s draft electoral rolls to influence the forthcoming Assembly elections. The demonstration was organized by the Guwahati Metropolitan District Congress and saw the participation of senior leaders, including Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress (APMC) president Mira Borthakur, Media Department chairman Bedabrata Bora, Youth Congress leaders and several party functionaries. Protesters alleged that the draft voter lists were riddled with serious anomalies, claiming that names of unknown persons had been added to the electoral records of genuine residents, while eligible voters were being removed.

Congress leaders said that in multiple localities unfamiliar names had appeared under the EPIC numbers of existing families, raising questions over the credibility of the revision process. Allegations were also made about the inclusion of non-existent voters at specific addresses in the city. The protest was marked by intense sloganeering against the BJP and the Election Commission, prompting police deployment as tensions briefly escalated and demonstrators attempted to move beyond barricades near the complex.

Leading the Mahila Congress contingent, Borthakur alleged that the voter list revision exercise was being misused to engineer electoral outcomes rather than ensure free and fair polls. She accused the Election Commission of functioning under political influence and demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged role of Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia. Youth Congress leaders echoed the concerns, warning that such practices posed a serious threat to democratic rights in the state.

APCC Media Department general secretary Iftekhar Younis alleged that during the Special Intensive Revision process, voters from outside Assam were being enrolled while genuine Assamese voters were excluded. He said the Congress had witnessed a similar pattern during elections in other states and claimed that the same strategy was now being repeated in Assam following the publication of the latest draft electoral rolls. Addressing a meeting held after the sit-in, senior Congress leaders urged party workers to remain vigilant and closely scrutinize the final electoral roll when it is published. They asserted that the party would continue its agitation and would not allow what it described as attempts to undermine the democratic process in Assam.

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