Guwahati, Jan 9: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on January 9 rejected the Congress party’s allegation of “vote chori” against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), terming the charge baseless and misleading.
Responding to the Assam Congress’s claims, Sarma said there was no scope for voter theft at this stage as the electoral rolls have not yet been published. “When no list has been published so far, then how can there be ‘vote chori’?” he said.
The Chief Minister clarified that the BJP state president had only instructed booth-level agents (BLAs) to ensure accuracy in the voter lists by identifying ineligible voters for deletion and eligible voters for inclusion. He said such actions are a routine and lawful part of the electoral roll revision process.
Sarma emphasised that maintaining a clean and accurate voter list is essential for free and fair elections and should not be politicised. He added that the Election Commission of India follows a transparent and well-defined procedure for updating electoral rolls, while political parties play a limited, facilitative role through their booth-level agents.
The Assam Congress had earlier accused the BJP of attempting to manipulate voter lists, an allegation Sarma said was intended to create unnecessary confusion ahead of the electoral process.
