Guwahati, Jan 6: Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar alleging serious irregularities in the draft electoral rolls published after the Special Revision ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections and sought a halt to the finalisation process until all discrepancies are verified.
In his letter, Saikia raised concerns over what he termed unauthorised and “unknown” voter entries, citing media reports and ground-level feedback that pointed to procedural lapses undermining the integrity of the electoral process. He alleged that non-Assamese speaking individuals had been included without due verification and that voters had, in some cases, been added to households without the residents’ knowledge.
Referring to specific instances, Saikia cited the enrolment of four non-Assamese individuals at House Nos. 44 and 15 on Tayabulla Road in Guwahati without the family’s awareness, as well as voter entries against a non-existent Household No. 00 in the Nazira constituency. He said such practices often go unnoticed and could allow unknown voters to cast ballots, compromising the credibility and verifiability of the rolls.
Saikia warned that the alleged violations posed a grave threat to democratic values and to the constitutional rights and socio-cultural heritage of Assam’s people. He linked the issue to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of vote manipulation, claiming the discrepancies reflected a broader systemic problem.
He also pointed out that more than 10 lakh names had reportedly been removed from the draft rolls for various reasons, but argued that the emergence of fresh discrepancies showed the credibility of the revision exercise had been compromised. He said the alleged malpractices violated Clause 6 of the Assam Accord and disregarded Supreme Court directives aimed at safeguarding constitutional provisions.
Urging the Election Commission of India to conduct a swift and transparent probe, Saikia sought that the findings be made public and the finalisation of the rolls be put on hold until all irregularities were addressed. He also called for a uniform addressing system and stronger verification mechanisms to prevent recurrence.
Reacting to the allegations, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said established procedures were in place to raise objections and seek corrections. He said concerned individuals could submit Forms 6, 7 and 8 for additions, deletions or corrections, adding that the opposition should follow due process instead of raising issues in the media.
According to the Election Commission, Assam recorded a 1.35 per cent increase in voters, with the integrated draft electoral roll published on December 30 listing 2,52,01,624 electors. Between January 6 and December 27 last year, 7,86,841 additions and 4,47,196 deletions were recorded. During the Special Revision, 4,78,992 deceased electors, 5,23,680 shifted voters and 53,619 multiple entries were identified.
The Commission clarified that these names have not yet been deleted and will be processed only after formal applications are received during the claims and objections period, which runs from December 27 to January 22. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on February 10.
