Congress protests alleged irregularities in Assam draft electoral rolls, CM dismisses claims

The Assam unit of the Congress on January 6 staged a protest against the Election Commission of India and the BJP-led state government, alleging irregularities in the draft electoral rolls published after a Special Revision of voter lists ahead of the Assembly elections.

The Guwahati city committee of the Assam Congress organised a sit-in demonstration near the Secretariat complex, accusing the ruling party of manipulating the voter list to return to power. Addressing reporters, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary Pradyut Bhuyan alleged that the irregularities were deliberate and politically motivated. He claimed the Election Commission was acting in favour of the BJP and accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of attempting to secure another term through what he described as “vote theft”.

Police barricaded and cordoned off the Manavendra Sharma Complex, which houses a Congress office, but protesters later broke through the barricades and came onto the road. After raising slogans and holding the protest for some time, the demonstrators returned to the complex and dispersed peacefully.

Assam has recorded a 1.35 per cent increase in voters according to the integrated draft electoral roll published on December 30, following the Special Revision conducted ahead of the Assembly polls. The draft roll shows a total of 2,52,01,624 electors, reflecting an increase from the previous final roll published in January 2025. Between January 6 and December 27 last year, 7,86,841 names were added and 4,47,196 were deleted.

During the revision process, officials identified 4,78,992 deceased electors, 5,23,680 electors who had shifted their place of residence and 53,619 multiple entries. The Election Commission, however, clarified that these names have not yet been removed and will only be processed after formal applications are submitted during the ongoing claims and objections period.

Responding to the Congress protest, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the concerns were misplaced, stressing that the list in question is only a draft. He said minor errors such as overlapping names or incorrect addresses are common at the draft stage and are usually corrected before the final roll is published. Sarma urged political parties not to question the intent of election officials, describing the preparation of a voter list for over two crore people as a mammoth exercise.

The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on February 10. The claims and objections period is open from December 27 to January 22, with special campaign dates fixed for January 3–4 and January 10–11. Assembly elections in Assam are expected to be held in March–April.