A coalition of opposition parties in Assam, spearheaded by the Indian National Congress, has taken formal legal action against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The parties filed a police complaint on Friday, leveling serious allegations of electoral manipulation through the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of voter lists.
Allegations of a Planned Conspiracy
The complaint, lodged at the Dispur police station in Guwahati, accuses the BJP of engaging in what they term "vote chori" (vote theft). The opposition alleges a deliberate conspiracy, in collusion with the Election Commission of India (ECI), to purge legitimate voters from the electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. Parties including the Congress, CPI(M), Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, and CPI(ML)L united to file this complaint.
Senior Congress leader Ripun Bora, addressing the media, stated that the exercise was a "planned conspiracy." He revealed that the complaint specifically targets BJP state president Dilip Saikia for alleged violations of election commission laws and the Representation of the People Act. Bora expressed disappointment that the ECI had not taken suo moto action, necessitating the police complaint.
The Core Accusation: Targeting Non-BJP Voters
The crux of the opposition's allegation is based on an internal BJP video conference. The complaint claims that in this meeting, Dilip Saikia instructed BJP MLAs and district presidents to identify voters who are not supporters of the party. This exercise was reportedly to be carried out across nearly 60 constituencies, with lists due for submission by January 12.
The opposition leaders have demanded an immediate suspension of the revision process and an impartial review of the rolls. They warned that such actions pose a direct threat to democratic rights and the integrity of the electoral process.
BJP's Retort and Counter-Allegations
The Assam BJP swiftly dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. Party spokesperson Jayanta Kumar Goswami launched a counter-offensive, accusing the opposition of indulging in "Miya appeasement" and attempting to fuel Miya nationalism in the state.
Goswami provided a specific context, linking the voter list revision to recent eviction drives. He stated, "More than 11,000 Muslims were evicted following the eviction drive carried out at Uriamghat in Sarupathar assembly constituency. During the ongoing SR, names of around 11,000 persons from the constituency were deleted." He further alleged that opposition leader Akhil Gogoi was running a smear campaign against Saikia to prevent the deletion of what he termed "Miya voters."
Formal Demands and Next Steps
Prior to the police complaint, the opposition submitted a detailed five-page memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam, outlining five key demands. In their police complaint, they have urged investigators to secure the video conference recordings as crucial evidence to prevent distortion and to inform the people of Assam of the findings.
This clash sets the stage for a heated political battle in Assam, with the integrity of the electoral roll becoming the central flashpoint. The police's investigation, or lack thereof, into the complaint will be closely watched as a bellwether for the fairness of the upcoming electoral process.
