Guwahati: Opposition parties in Assam on Sunday approached the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), alleging serious irregularities in the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls ahead of the Assembly elections and accusing the ruling BJP-led government of undermining the neutrality of the process.
In a joint memorandum, the Congress, CPI(M), Raijor Dal and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) claimed that genuine voters were being issued notices based on what they described as illegal and arbitrary bulk objections.
They alleged that many such objections, citing voters as deceased or permanently shifted, were filed without the knowledge or consent of the listed objectors.
The parties sought the CEO’s “immediate intervention” to ensure that the SR exercise is conducted in a free and fair manner.
They alleged that notices were being served on voters in violation of established rules and guidelines, causing unnecessary harassment.
The opposition urged the CEO to summarily reject bulk and unlawful objections without calling affected voters for hearings, and to initiate action against those responsible for filing such objections.
They also demanded that reasonable time be granted to voters to appear for hearings in cases where objections are found to be genuine.
The memorandum further alleged that officials involved in the revision process were deleting names from the electoral rolls on their own initiative and called on the CEO to put an immediate stop to such practices.
The opposition parties strongly objected to a recent public remark by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in which he suggested that members of the ‘Miya’ (Bengali-speaking Muslim) community would face harassment during the SR process.
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They termed the statement arbitrary and unconstitutional, arguing that it reflected a predetermined intent to target a specific community and compromised the neutrality of the electoral exercise.
They also alleged active interference by BJP office bearers in the revision process, citing an incident in Kamrup district where party members were allegedly caught on camera inside an election branch office.
The opposition demanded strict action against individuals found entering election offices without authorisation.
Additionally, the parties urged the Election Commission to allow genuine voters affected by eviction drives to submit Form 8 applications for change of residence, so that they are not excluded from the final electoral rolls, scheduled to be published on February 10.
