Assam voter roll revision sparks political storm; joint FIR against BJP chief

The contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) continues to flare up in poll-bound Assam. With the Congress-led Opposition and the ruling BJP trading charges against each other, the controversy has now spilled onto the streets, and later into police stations.

At the centre of the controversy is Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia, against whom the Congress and several Opposition parties — including the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), Raijor Dal (RD) and Left parties — filed a joint FIR at the Dispur police station. The complaint seeks a criminal probe into allegations that Saikia, during an internal video conference on January 4, instructed party workers to identify non-BJP voters in 60 Assembly constituencies and facilitate the deletion of their names from electoral rolls.

The draft roll was already published on December 27 and the final roll is likely to be published on February 10.

Rare Opposition unity

Leaders cutting across party lines — Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, former MP Ripun Bora, Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress (APMC) president Mira Borthakur, AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, Raijor Dal leader Russell Hussain, Kabindra Chetia Phukan, CPI(M) state secretary Suprakash Talukdar and CPI(ML) leader Pankaj Kumar Das — were present at the police station, signalling rare Opposition unity on an issue they described as fundamental to democracy.

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In the FIR, the Opposition parties demanded that police immediately secure and examine the video footage of the January 4 conference, warning that any delay could allow evidence to be altered or destroyed. They also called for accountability for anyone involved in what they alleged was an organised attempt at “vote theft”.

“We had no option left,” said Ripun Bora, speaking to reporters after filing the FIR. “Despite widespread media coverage, the Election Commission has not taken suo motu action. This is a direct violation of the Representation of the People Act and the Election Commission’s guidelines. The truth must come out before the people of Assam,” Bora said.

Opposition submits memorandum

Earlier, the Opposition submitted a five-page memorandum to Assam Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anurag Goel, urging immediate intervention. The memorandum alleged a broader conspiracy to influence voter lists and called on the Election Commission, as an independent constitutional authority, to protect the sanctity of the electoral process.

Despite widespread media coverage, the Election Commission has not taken suo motu action. This is a direct violation of the Representation of the People Act and the Election Commission’s guidelines

The Opposition also flagged alleged irregularities in Bajali, Bhavaanipur- Sarbhog, Golakganj and Sribhumi, where Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were allegedly removed or transferred abruptly. They demanded assurances that no political authority — including the Chief Minister or the BJP state president — would influence the SR process.

'Conspiracy to remove voters'

CPI(M) state secretary Sukprakash Talukdar alleged a “serious and dangerous conspiracy” to remove Muslim voters from the electoral rolls of Bajali and Bhavanipur–Sarbhog constituencies, accusing Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ranjit Kumar Dass of orchestrating the move.

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Talukdar said the party has submitted a detailed memorandum to Assam CEO, demanding an immediate inquiry into the matter. The Left party has also urged Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to take action against the minister for what it termed “anti-constitutional and anti-democratic acts”.

Talukdar stated that the controversy arose after the publication of the draft electoral roll on December 27. He clarified that the current exercise is a Special Revision (SR), not a Special Intensive Revision (SIR), and therefore does not require voters to submit documents. “The SIR is carried out through house-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and political parties are also involved through their Booth Level Agents,” he said.

Among other demands were strict scrutiny of bulk objections to voter lists, mandatory hearings before deletions, and protection for election staff from political pressure.

Claims misleading, to fool the public, says BJP

However, the BJP, strongly rejected the allegations. Dilip Saikia dismissed the claims as “misleading” and an attempt to “fool the public,” insisting that there was nothing secret or illegal about the January 4 meeting.

“The screenshots that are being circulated were already shared publicly by our office-bearers,” Saikia said. “There is no instruction to delete voters. Akhil Gogoi and others are deliberately misinterpreting routine organisational discussions. These documents have no face value.”

Taking the counter-offensive further, the BJP accused the Congress-led Opposition of playing “Miya identity politics” to polarise voters and derail the voter revision exercise.

'Separate Miya identity'

Addressing a separate press conference at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan, BJP spokesperson Jayanta Kumar Goswami alleged that Opposition was attempting to mobilise support by promoting what he called the rise of a separate “Miya identity” in Assam.

He linked the FIR and voter list controversy to broader political developments, including remarks by AIUDF chief Maulana Badruddin Ajmal about his eligibility to become Chief Minister, the political realignment of Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, and the deletion of voter names from the Sarupathar Assembly constituency.

There is no instruction to delete voters. Akhil Gogoi and others are deliberately misinterpreting routine organisational discussions

According to Goswami, following an eviction drive at Uriamghat in Golaghat district, more than 11,000 Muslims were evicted, and during the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SSR), the names of around 11,000 voters from Sarupathar were deleted. He alleged that Opposition leaders were politicising these developments to create pressure on election authorities.

Goswami accused Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi of running a smear campaign against Saikia to prevent the deletion of what he described as “illegal Miya voters”, and claimed that the FIR itself was part of this strategy. He also slammed a proposal to establish a Miya Museum at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, alleging it was aimed at promoting a new form of “Miya nationalism”, with the support of suspended Congress MLA Sherman Ali.

Expressing concern over demographic trends, Goswami claimed that Miya Muslims could constitute nearly 40 per cent of Assam’s population in the upcoming census, accusing the opposition of indulging in divisive politics instead of protecting indigenous interests.

The Opposition has not yet issued a collective response to the BJP’s counter-allegations. But the twin controversies — one centred on alleged voter list manipulation, the other on identity politics — have heated up politics ahead of elections.