The Congress on Tuesday staged a protest at the Manabendra Sharma Complex in Dispur, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) of manipulating Assam’s draft electoral rolls to influence the forthcoming Assembly elections.
Organised by the Guwahati Metropolitan District Congress, the demonstration saw the participation of senior party leaders, including Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur, APCC Media Department chairman Bedabrata Bora, Youth Congress leaders and party workers. Protesters alleged serious discrepancies in the draft voter list, claiming that names of unknown individuals had been added to the records of genuine residents, while eligible voters were being removed.
Congress leaders alleged that in several localities, unfamiliar names had appeared under the EPIC numbers of existing families, casting doubt on the credibility of the revision process. They also claimed that non-existent voters had been shown at certain addresses in the city.
The protest was marked by strong sloganeering against the BJP and the Election Commission, prompting police deployment after tensions briefly escalated when demonstrators attempted to move beyond barricades.
Leading the Mahila Congress wing, Mira Borthakur alleged that the voter list revision exercise was being misused to influence electoral outcomes instead of ensuring free and fair polls. She accused the Election Commission of functioning under political pressure and demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged role of Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia.
Youth Congress leaders echoed these concerns, warning that such practices threatened democratic rights in the state. APCC Media Department general secretary Iftekhar Younis alleged that during the Special Intensive Revision process, voters from outside Assam were being enrolled while genuine Assamese voters were excluded. He claimed similar patterns had been observed in other states and were now being repeated in Assam after the publication of the draft rolls.
Addressing a meeting after the sit-in, senior Congress leaders urged party workers to remain vigilant and closely examine the final electoral roll when released. They asserted that the party would continue its agitation and oppose any attempt to undermine the democratic process in Assam.
