Opposition parties in Assam have intensified their campaign against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), levelling serious allegations of a conspiracy to manipulate voter lists ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections. The Congress, along with allies, has formally approached both the police and the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing the BJP of orchestrating a plan to delete a large number of legitimate voters.
Formal Complaints Lodged with Authorities
On Friday, a united front of opposition parties submitted a detailed complaint at the Dispur police station in Guwahati. The delegation was led by Ripun Bora, the chairman of the Congress's election management committee. He was accompanied by leaders from Raijor Dal, Asom Jatiya Parishad, CPI(ML), and CPI(M) – all parties actively working to build an anti-BJP coalition for the polls scheduled later this year.
In a parallel move on the same day, the Raijor Dal submitted a separate memorandum to the Election Commission of India. This document accused the BJP of deliberate plans to "sabotage the electoral process in Assam" and demanded immediate intervention.
The Core Allegation: A Systematic Plot
The controversy stems from claims made by Raijor Dal chief and Sivasagar MLA, Akhil Gogoi. Gogoi alleges that he overheard a meeting of state, district, and mandal-level BJP leaders. In his letter to the ECI, he stated that he heard state BJP president Dilip Saikia instruct party functionaries to "submit the list of anti-BJP legal voters for deletion from each booth" in 60 Assembly constituencies where the BJP did not perform well.
The opposition's police complaint frames this as a "larger conspiracy to delete the names of large numbers of genuine voters from the electoral rolls." They have urged authorities to book the alleged conspirators under penal law to ensure a free and fair Special Revision process.
BJP's Firm Rejection and Counter-Argument
BJP state chief Dilip Saikia has categorically dismissed all allegations as baseless and lacking common sense. He clarified that the addition and deletion of names in voter lists is solely the prerogative of the Election Commission of India.
"The same voter list has been continuing with the names of people who died 30 years ago. There are people who have moved, who have been absent and not come to vote for the past four elections," Saikia explained. He emphasized that the party's goal is a correct and updated voter list, and that all political parties participate in the revision process through their appointed Booth Level Agents (BLAs).
Despite the BJP's rebuttal, the opposition is maintaining pressure. In its memorandum to the ECI, the Raijor Dal has called for the ongoing Special Revision to be halted entirely. They have also demanded an inquiry into the BJP meeting held on January 4 and an audit of all objections filed against voter inclusions across Assam in the last three months.
Police have confirmed receiving the complaint at Dispur station but stated that no First Information Report (FIR) has been registered yet. The claims and objections process for the draft electoral roll, published on December 27, is currently underway and will continue until January 22.
It is important to note that Assam is undergoing a Special Revision, not a Special Intensive Revision (SIR), due to the unique context of the pending National Register of Citizens (NRC) process. This revision involves house-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers but does not include document verification.
