Four organisations, including Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), have written to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), urging an immediate investigation into alleged discrepancies during the ongoing special revision (SR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Assam.
The signatories — CJP’s Assam chapter, Axom Majuri Sramik Union, Banchana Birodhi Mancha and Forum for Social Harmony — flagged “serious irregularities” involving false objections against legitimate voters and unauthorised access to official records.
Among the cases cited is that of Naba Bala Ray from Krishnai in Goalpara district, who allegedly filed 64 objections against legitimate voters in Goalpara town. When confronted by those named, Ray denied having submitted any such objections. The organisations said she withdrew some of them by signing in Assamese. However, the original objection forms bore English signatures. She maintains that she cannot write in English, according to the representation submitted to the CEC on Sunday.
Another example involved Salim Ahmed of Shribhumi district, who was recorded as having filed objections against himself and 133 others, labelling them as “non-genuine voters”. When approached, Ahmed reportedly told the booth-level officer (BLO), Sumana Choudhury, that he had not submitted any such objections.
The complaint also names four BJP leaders from Kamrup district who allegedly “unauthorisedly entered” the office of the co-district commissioner of Boko-Chaygaon and accessed confidential documents and the Election Commission’s electronic database.
Opposition parties, including the Congress and Raijor Dal, have formally raised the issue with the authorities. The Boko unit of the Congress has also filed a police complaint regarding the alleged unauthorised access.
The representation further highlighted instances where voters “very much alive” were marked as deceased by “fake complainants”. The organisations have asked the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to scrutinise these claims as well.
They demanded urgent intervention and listed the following corrective actions:
- Withdraw all objections if the original complainant is found absent during the hearing.
- Publish a free and fair electoral roll in the interests of democracy.
- Withdraw or dismiss objections filed against migrant labourers from Assam who returned home during the verification period and faced renewed objections upon return.
- Ensure impartiality, particularly regarding allegations of interference by BJP workers in Boko-Chaygaon constituency.
- Investigate instances of false complaints filed using Form 7 and take action against those responsible.
- Hold false complainants accountable and compensate victims for mental, physical, or financial harassment. Take action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, against those making false statements in the SR process.
- Increase the time limit for the claim process and publication of the final list.
The special revision process began in November, with the claims and objections phase concluding on January 22. The final electoral rolls are scheduled for publication on February 10.