Assam Congress to Deploy 'Vote Rakshaks' at Polling Booths to Safeguard Electoral Rolls

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Saturday announced plans to appoint 'Vote Rakshaks' at all 31,486 polling booths and 669 municipal wards across Assam to protect electoral rolls and ensure that eligible voters are not excluded.

At a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan, Congress leaders criticised the Election Commission of India's Special Summary Revision (SSR) process and demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They also questioned the state government's legitimacy, alleging discrepancies in electoral rolls.

Former MLA Satyabrata Kalita said conducting another summary revision within eight months of publishing the draft electoral roll on February 5 was unusual. He urged eligible citizens aged 18 and above to enrol by submitting Form 6 and called for the offline application process to remain accessible, particularly to rural residents.

Kalita also alleged that centralising the process at district commissioner offices had caused inconvenience to citizens and village heads. He questioned the Election Commission's public awareness efforts and raised concerns over restrictions on filing objections to voter-list discrepancies.

The former legislator further criticised the state government over the investigation into singer Zubeen Garg's death, questioning the Special Investigation Team's handling of the case and seeking clarification from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma following his statements in the Assembly.

APCC General Secretary (Administration) Bipul Gogoi said the party's 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' campaign was continuing across Assam's 35 districts and 301 blocks. He said the All India Congress Committee had appointed seven senior observers, while APCC president Gaurav Gogoi had appointed 102 observers to oversee the campaign and mobilise public participation.