Assam Congress Leader Demands Electoral Roll Reforms, Citing Widespread Discrepancies Ahead of State Elections

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Leader of Opposition in Assam's assembly, Debabrata Saikia, has written to the Election Commission (EC) expressing deep concerns over the draft electoral roll released in December. The roll, prepared after a house-to-house drive in 126 assembly constituencies, has been marred by reports of unauthorized inclusions of non-Assamese speakers, procedural lapses, and unknown voters added to households without the knowledge of residents. Saikia cited an instance in Guwahati where four individuals were found enrolled at two houses without the family's knowledge. He also highlighted an irregularity in his Nazira constituency where voter entries were registered against non-existent house numbers. The Congress leader has urged the EC to conduct a swift and transparent investigation into the reported discrepancies and make the findings public. He also recommended halting the finalization of electoral rolls until all irregularities are verified and resolved. The draft roll shows a total of 2,52,01,624 electors, representing a 1.35% increase from the previous final roll published in January 2025. The Special Revision (SR) identified 1.06 million electors who are likely to be deleted after the claims and objections period is over. Saikia emphasized the importance of accurate electoral rolls, stating that any compromise erodes public confidence and democratic values. He expressed his trust in the EC to take decisive action to uphold the sanctity of the electoral process in Assam. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on February 10, ahead of state elections expected to be held in March-April 2026. The EC has acknowledged discrepancies in two households in Guwahati and has agreed to correct the final list.