In a significant revelation concerning the electoral process in Assam, the Dhubri district administration has uncovered attempts by several declared foreign nationals, or 'D-voters', to fraudulently include their names in the revised voter list by using different identities. District Commissioner Dibakar Nath made this announcement while addressing the media on Saturday regarding the release of the draft electoral rolls.
Legal Action Against Fraudulent Enrolment
DC Dibakar Nath stated that the election authorities have identified these discrepancies during a special revision drive. Legal action will be initiated against those involved once the verification process is fully completed. He emphasized that the administration is committed to ensuring a clean and accurate voter list for the upcoming electoral exercises.
"Besides this, several other lapses have come to light during the special revision and will be corrected in the final electoral rolls," Nath added, underlining the thoroughness of the ongoing cleansing operation.
Constituency-Wise Breakdown of Changes
The draft of the revised electoral rolls shows substantial corrections across several constituencies. According to the data released by the DC's office:
- In constituency no.-6 Golokganj, 395 names were deleted.
- In constituency no.-8 Dhubri, 211 names were removed.
- In constituency no.-9 Birsing Jarua, 110 deletions were made.
Conversely, the revision also saw the legitimate addition of new voters in other areas. A total of 1,481 new voters were enrolled in constituency no.-7 Gauripur, while 319 new names were added in constituency no.-10 Bilasipara.
Reasons for Deletion and the D-Voter Issue
Explaining the reasons behind the deletions, Nath clarified that the list was purged of several categories of ineligible entries. These included individuals who have passed away, voters who have moved out of the district due to reasons like marriage and are now enrolled elsewhere, and the critical category of several D-voters who had managed to re-enroll themselves under new names.
The issue of 'D-voters' or 'Doubtful Voters' is a long-standing and sensitive one in Assam, referring to individuals whose citizenship status is under question. The discovery of their attempts to re-enter the rolls through fraudulent means highlights the challenges in maintaining the integrity of the voter list in the state.
An official from the district election office confirmed that the office is working diligently to finalize the list. The final revised voter list for Dhubri district is scheduled for publication on February 10. This final publication will incorporate all corrections identified during the scrutiny of the draft list, aiming to present an accurate and lawful roster of eligible voters.
