Goalpara (Assam): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday urged citizens who have received notices during the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in the state to cooperate with authorities and respond without “creating any fuss.”
Addressing reporters on the sidelines of a government programme in Goalpara district, Sarma said the SR exercise is a constitutional process and that recipients of notices should simply appear before election officials to clarify their status.
“If a notice is served, one can go and state that they are Indians. The matter ends there. There is nothing to panic about,” he said.
The chief minister also said he would present his own credentials if a complaint is filed against him through Form 7.
“We are not kings or emperors. Everyone is equal in a democracy,” he said, asserting that no one is above scrutiny.
Opposition parties have accused the ruling BJP of misusing the voter revision exercise to harass genuine citizens, particularly members of religious minorities, by filing complaints through Form 7.
Rejecting the criticism, Sarma criticised those who approach the media after receiving notices.
“They should have gone to the authorities and cleared their names. If they had not shown the notices to reporters, no one would have known,” he said, dismissing claims that the process amounts to an insult.
Under the election rules, Form 7 can be used by individuals to seek deletion of their own names from the electoral roll on grounds such as permanent relocation, double enrolment or non-citizenship.
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Voters can also apply for deletion of others’ names citing reasons including death, being underage, permanent shift, multiple enrolments or non-citizenship.
Election authorities conduct hearings before any deletion is made.
The chief minister further claimed that allegations suggesting that notices are being selectively issued to Bengali-speaking Muslims, often referred to as “Miyas,” are politically motivated.
He reiterated his assertion that “Bangladeshi Miyas” reside in Assam and said more than five lakh complaints have been filed by BJP workers during the SR process against what he described as “foreigners.”
The remarks come amid heightened political tension over the voter revision drive, which has emerged as a key point of contention between the ruling party and the opposition in the state.
