With Assam heading towards Assembly elections scheduled for March–April, the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls has led to rising political tensions across Assam. The process has drawn allegations of targeted disenfranchisement of Bengali-origin Muslims, often referred to as ‘Miyas,’ with opposition parties accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to manipulate voter lists ahead of the polls. The state government, however has rejected these charges saying that the exercise is necessary to address alleged demographic changes linked to illegal migration.
The controversy intensified this week after Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia wrote a four-page letter to the Chief Justice of India on January 28 demanding a suo motu intervention. Saikia described the situation as a ‘constitutional crisis’ and alleged large-scale misuse of Form-7 under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 to delete voters’ names arbitrarily. In his letter , he said that the deletions are largely aimed at the ‘Miya’ community. In his letter, Saikia said that the right to vote under Article 326 of the Constitution was being ‘systematically undermined through executive interference, communal targeting, and misuse of statutory procedures.’
Saikia cited public remarks by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to support his claims. He alleged that notices for verification and deletion were being ‘deliberately served only upon the ‘Miya’ population to keep them under pressure, make them suffer, and demonstrate resistance.’ The letter detailed alleged irregularities in Saikia’s Nazira Assembly constituency, where mass Form-7 applications were reportedly filed by politically connected individuals including elected panchayat representatives. These applications, he claimed, were based on questionable grounds such as ‘death,’ ‘permanent shifting,’ or ‘absence.’
Among the examples highlighted were attempts to remove the names of family members of a retired Indian Air Force officer and allegations that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were being pressured to comply with deletion requests. Saikia urged the Supreme Court to direct the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure that voter list revisions remain fair and transparent, with mandatory hearings before any deletion and safeguards to prevent electoral processes from being used as tools of intimidation. He stated that the alleged actions violated Articles 14, 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution.
The chief minister, meanwhile has shown no signs of softening his stand. Speaking to reporters in Digboi on January 27, Sarma claimed that between four and five lakh ‘Miya’ voters would be removed during the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) phase following the SR. He said BJP workers had already filed more than five lakh complaints against what he described as ‘Bangladeshi Miyas’ suspected of being foreigners. Sarma alleged that such voters had moved into Upper Assam districts including Duliajan, Margherita, Golaghat and Tinsukia purchased land and altered local demographics.
Sarma reportedly said that his ‘job is to make the Miya people suffer,’ framing the voter revision exercise as resistance against what he called a ‘tsunami’ of infiltration. He also urged people to socially and economically resist the community, comments that opposition leaders have described as openly communal.
Official figures released with the draft electoral rolls on December 30, 2025 present a different picture. According to the ECI, Assam recorded a 1.35 per cent increase in voters taking the total electorate to 2,52,01,624. Between January 6 and December 27, 2025, there were 7,86,841 new additions and 4,47,196 deletions. The ECI attributed proposed deletions to reasons such as 4,78,992 deaths, 5,23,680 cases of voters shifting residence and 53,619 duplicate entries. Election authorities have maintained that no name will be finally removed without due process, including claims and objections, and that the final rolls will be published on February 10. Opposition parties, however argue that more than 10 lakh voters have been flagged for possible removal.
Congress MP and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi has criticised the chief minister during a protest in Kamrup on January 29 accusing him of repeatedly making polarising statements. Gogoi alleged that the BJP was engaging in ‘vote chori’ through the SR exercise and compared Sarma’s politics to divisive leaders of the past. Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi also filed an FIR over alleged irregularities at an election office in Boko and accused the chief minister of communal framing. He said that if illegal immigrants were present, the government should act decisively rather than repeatedly targeting a community.
Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi joined the criticism calling the government’s actions hypocritical and politically motivated. A united opposition, including Congress, CPI(M), and Raijor Dal has announced coordinated protests and joint press conferences to oppose what they describe as ‘politics of exclusion.’
Meanwhile, the Gauhati High Court is hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate F.Z. Mazumder alleging misuse of Form-7. Civil society groups have warned that the controversy could deepen communal divisions in a state with a long history of migration-related tensions dating back to the Assam Accord of the 1980s. With elections approaching, the outcome of the voter revision process may play a decisive role in shaping voter turnout, political alliances and public faith in Assam’s democratic institutions.
