Sushmita Dev flags ‘haphazard’ electoral roll revision in Assam, demands ECI intervention

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev has written to the Chief Election Commissioner of India, raising serious concerns over the ongoing Special Revision of Electoral Rolls in Assam and warning that the hurried process could lead to large-scale wrongful deletions and denial of voting rights to genuine citizens. 

In her letter dated January 23, 2026, Dev questioned the efficacy, transparency and fairness of the exercise, particularly in the context of the unresolved National Register of Citizens issue in the state.

Drawing attention to the NRC update process that spanned over six years under the supervision of the Supreme Court, Dev noted that the updated NRC has still not been notified due to several anomalies, despite the hardships faced by the people of Assam who spent considerable time and money to prove their citizenship. She pointed out that the NRC list published on August 31, 2019, has effectively been kept in abeyance, either by the Registrar General or the Supreme Court, and questioned why the extensive data generated through the exercise has not been correlated with the voters’ list.

The MP expressed particular concern over the large number of objections filed under Form-7 seeking deletion of names from the electoral rolls. She stated that many such objections have been filed in bulk, often by persons who are either untraceable or have denied filing the objections, suggesting mala fide intent to harass genuine voters. Citing a public petition from Masughat Gaon Panchayat under 117-Borkhola LAC in Cachar district, Dev alleged that a BJP activist acting as a Block Level Agent had filed multiple false objections.

Dev highlighted that while the last date for filing Form-7 objections was January 22, 2026, the deadline for hearings and disposal has been fixed for February 2, 2026, with final publication of the electoral roll scheduled for February 10, 2026. Given the scale of objections, she said it would be practically impossible to serve notices to all affected voters and conduct fair hearings within such a short timeframe. She cited official data from the Chief Electoral Officer’s website showing thousands of objections across several assembly constituencies, including Silchar, Katigorah, Mangaldoi, Jorhat and Barkhetri.

Warning of panic, distress and anger among voters, Dev said the compressed schedule risks depriving genuine citizens of their democratic right to vote. She also referred to the nearly 19 lakh people excluded from the NRC, stating that they have been left without any effective remedy and cannot be excluded from the voters’ list, as the Supreme Court has clearly ruled that no coercive or regressive action can be taken until the final NRC is notified after exhaustion of all legal remedies.

In view of these concerns, Dev urged the Election Commission to extend the date for hearings and disposal by at least seven days to ensure fair opportunity for all affected voters. She further demanded that NRC data be correlated with the electoral rolls so that names found in the NRC are retained in the final voters’ list, and reiterated that those excluded from the NRC cannot be disenfranchised at this stage.

A copy of the letter has also been marked to the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam, seeking immediate corrective measures to prevent what the MP described as unfair and wrongful deletions during the ongoing revision process.