Daijiworld Media Network - Guwahati

Guwahati, Jan 6: The Congress on Tuesday staged a protest at the Manabendra Sharma Complex in Dispur, accusing the BJP and the Election Commission of India (ECI) of manipulating Assam’s recently released draft electoral rolls to influence the outcome of the upcoming Assembly elections.

Organised by the Guwahati Metropolitan District Congress, the demonstration drew several senior party leaders, including Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) media department chairman Bedabrata Bora, Youth Congress leaders, and party workers.

Addressing the gathering, Congress leaders alleged that the draft voter lists were riddled with serious discrepancies. They claimed that names of unknown individuals had been added to the voter lists of genuine residents, while eligible voters were being arbitrarily removed during the revision process. In several cases, unfamiliar names were allegedly found listed within a single family’s voter details, raising questions about transparency and credibility.

The protest saw loud sloganeering against the BJP and the Election Commission, with party workers accusing authorities of orchestrating “vote theft.” Police personnel were deployed around the complex to maintain law and order as tensions briefly escalated during the demonstration.

Leading the Mahila Congress delegation, Mira Borthakur alleged that the voter list revision exercise was being misused to shape electoral outcomes rather than ensure free and fair elections. “We strongly oppose attempts to conduct elections through vote theft. The Election Commission is behaving like a BJP front. We will not allow elections to be held on the basis of faulty voter lists,” she said, demanding a CBI inquiry into the alleged role of Assam BJP President Dilip Saikia.

Youth Congress leaders echoed similar concerns, warning that the alleged discrepancies posed a serious threat to democratic rights in the state. APCC Media Department general secretary Iftekhar Younis claimed that during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, voters from other states were being included, while genuine Assamese voters were being excluded.

“What Rahul Gandhi described as vote theft is now evident on the ground. Elections should be fought on governance and development, not by manipulating voter lists,” Younis said.

The Congress also drew comparisons with allegations raised after the Bihar Assembly elections, claiming that a similar pattern was now unfolding in Assam following the publication of the draft rolls.

The BJP and the Assam government have strongly denied the allegations. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reiterated that electoral roll preparation is entirely under the Election Commission’s authority. “There is time until January 22 to file objections. Political parties should follow institutional processes instead of resorting to protests,” the chief minister said.