Opposition parties in Assam have united against bulk and false objections in the ongoing Special Revision of electoral rolls, fearing genuine voters will be excluded. They submitted a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer demanding summary rejection of such objections. The move comes amid concerns over targeting specific communities ahead of state assembly elections.
Opposition parties in Assam, including Congress, Raijor Dal, CPI(M), Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, and CPI(ML), rallied on Sunday to challenge the prevalence of bulk and false objections during the Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls. They submitted a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer, expressing fears that arbitrary actions could leave large numbers of legitimate voters out of the final roll set for publication on February 10.
The parties demanded that district election officers summarily reject bulk and illegal objections without summoning individuals for hearings or harassing them. They also called for action against those filing such objections and reasonable time for addressing genuine ones. This united front forms ahead of the state assembly elections, with the claims and objections period having ended on January 22 and disposals due by February 2.
The memorandum referenced remarks by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday, where he dismissed concerns, stating notices were served to 'Miyas'—a pejorative term for Bengali-origin Muslims—to 'keep them under pressure.' Sarma said, 'There is no controversy over the Special Revision. Which Hindu has got notice? Which Assamese Muslim has got notice? Notices have been served to Miyas and such people. Otherwise, they will walk all over our heads… We are giving them trouble… They have to understand that at some level, people of Assam are resisting them.'
Opposition leaders labeled these comments 'arbitrary, mala fide, and wholly unconstitutional,' accusing them of targeting a specific community and undermining electoral neutrality. They urged the CEO to restrain officials, including the chief minister, from interfering in the SR process by deleting genuine voters' names.
The SR involves house-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), identifying 478,992 deceased electors for deletion, 523,680 shifted voters, and 53,619 duplicates for correction. Earlier reports highlighted how common objectors filed complaints leading to summons for public hearings.
