Assam: As Assam prepares for the Assembly elections later this year, the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of the electoral rolls has turned into a major political controversy. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition led by the Congress are locked in a sharp dispute over the exercise. What is normally a routine update of voter lists by the Election Commission of India (ECI) has now become a heated political issue with allegations of voter suppression and bias.
The Special Revision began on November 22, 2025. Unlike other states, Assam’s SR is different from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) because of the state’s past experience with the National Register of Citizens (NRC). During the exercise, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) carried out door-to-door verification. A draft electoral roll was published on December 27, 2025, containing the names of 2.51 crore voters. As part of the process, officials identified 4.78 lakh deceased voters, 5.23 lakh voters who had shifted and more than 53,000 duplicate entries for deletion. The claims and objections period ended on January 22, 2026. Objections filed under Form-7 led to further controversy. These objections will be decided by February 2, and the final voter list will be published on February 10.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP leaders have defended the SR, calling it a necessary step to remove ineligible voters. Sarma has said the process mainly targets ‘Miyas,’ referring to Muslims of Bangladesh origin and not indigenous communities. He said on January 24 that notices were issued only to such groups and described the exercise as a way to pressure those he called illegal infiltrators. On January 27, he went further, saying a full SIR could result in the deletion of four to five lakh ‘suspected individuals.’ The BJP maintains that the revision is needed to ensure fair elections and protect Assam’s demographic balance.
Opposition parties, including the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML), have criticised the exercise. In a joint memorandum submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer on January 25, they alleged large-scale irregularities, including fake objections, wrongful deletions and political interference. Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi accused the BJP of undermining democracy claiming that some living voters were wrongly marked as dead or shifted, and that signatures of BLOs were forged. Protests have taken place in several areas, including a demonstration by Youth Congress workers outside the District Commissioner’s office in Sribhumi. Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev also approached the ECI on January 23 seeking more time and warning of wrongful deletions due to the rushed process.
The Election Commission has said that no voter will be deleted without proper notice and hearings. However, opposition parties continue to demand an investigation into the use of Form-7 objections.
With the Assembly elections approaching, the dispute over the voter list has added to Assam’s long-standing debates over identity and citizenship. How the issue is resolved may have a major impact on the political climate in the state.
