Assam: Opposition-led political parties in Assam on Thursday filed a First Information Report (FIR) at Dispur Police Station, alleging “vote chori” (vote theft) through the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of the electoral rolls. The complaint accuses the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of misusing the revision process in collusion with the Election Commission to manipulate the voters’ list ahead of upcoming elections.
The FIR was submitted at around 10:00 am following a coordinated program by opposition parties in Guwahati. Opposition leaders alleged that the Special Revision exercise is being used to arbitrarily delete the names of genuine voters, thereby threatening the democratic rights of citizens. They demanded an immediate halt to the SR process and called for a transparent and impartial review of the electoral rolls.
Reacting to the development, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi cited recent media reports alleging that during a BJP Zoom meeting, the party’s state president—who is also a Member of Parliament—was heard instructing party workers to remove the names of voters who do not support the BJP from the voters’ list. Gogoi described the alleged remarks as a direct attempt to deprive citizens of their constitutional right to vote.
“The right to vote is a constitutional right. On what authority can anyone decide who should remain on the voters’ list and who should not, simply based on political preference?” Gogoi said. He also questioned the silence of the Election Commission, stating that while affidavits are often sought from opposition leaders, no action has been taken despite the reported allegations.
Opposition leaders warned that if corrective steps are not taken, they will continue their protests and pursue legal and constitutional remedies to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
Reacting on the matter, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Cm Himanta Biswa Sarma that the voter list is yet to be finalised. “They are free to file a complaint. However, the Election Commission has clearly stated that the voter list has not yet been finalised or published, so where is the question of vote theft? The election process is being conducted strictly as per established procedures.” On the issue of the Assam BJP President Dilip Saikia giving alleged instructions. “Of course, a party president will give instructions to party workers otherwise, what is their role? The purpose of voter list revision is precisely to verify entries, remove ineligible names, and include eligible voters who may have been left out. If no names were to be deleted or added, there would be no need for such an exercise at all.”
