Senior Congress leaders Ripun Bora and Rakibul Hussain today addressed a joint press conference in Guwahati, making serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and questioning the silence of the Election Commission over what they described as attempts to manipulate the voter list ahead of the upcoming elections.
Addressing mediapersons in Guwahati, Ripun Bora alleged that BJP Assam state president Dilip Saikia had, during a video conference held on January 4, instructed party MLAs and district-level leaders to identify “anti-BJP voters” in every constituency. Bora claimed that these voters were mainly supporters of the Congress party and that leaders were asked to prepare and submit such lists by January 12.
Bora further alleged that Assam minister Ashok Singhal was directed to visit around 60 constituencies and that instructions were given to delete the names of nearly 5,000 to 10,000 voters per constituency from the electoral rolls. Calling the matter “very serious,” Bora said such actions, if true, amount to direct interference in the democratic process. 
“Our biggest concern is why the Election Commission is silent,” Bora said. “This is not a small issue. The Election Commission is a constitutional and autonomous body. If it does not act now, then its independence itself will come under question.”
Bora demanded a high-level inquiry into the alleged video conference. He said that video conferencing platforms automatically store conversations in cloud archives and insisted that these records should be handed over to the Election Commission for forensic examination. He said both the government and the Election Commission should ensure that these records are preserved and examined without delay.
The Congress leader also raised questions about the functioning of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the ongoing revision of electoral rolls. He alleged that in several places, BLOs were changed abruptly in the middle of the revision process, which he described as illegal and against established procedure. According to him, BLOs should not be replaced unless there is a clear and valid reason.
Bora also alleged that the voter list revision process had become “highly communalised” in certain areas. He claimed that BLOs and supervisors belonging to particular communities were being removed under pressure. He said he had already submitted a memorandum highlighting these issues and had provided specific, pinpointed examples to the authorities.
Explaining the technical side of the voter list revision, Bora spoke about the concept of a draft electoral roll. He said a draft roll is meant to allow room for correction and claims, but alleged that in practice, people were being denied the opportunity to object or correct errors. He said names of deceased persons, shifted voters, and even eligible new voters were being mishandled.
He cited specific examples from Booth No. 27, including house numbers and serial entries, to show what he claimed were serious discrepancies in the rolls. According to him, entire families were shown incorrectly, houses that no longer existed were still listed, and in some cases, the number of voters recorded did not match the actual residents.
Bora said he would raise these issues formally through an all-party delegation and take the matter to the Chief Electoral Officer and, if needed, to the Election Commission of India in New Delhi. “I will give complaints with full details, booth numbers, house numbers and records,” he said.
Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain said concerns over voter list revisions were not limited to Assam alone. Referring to discussions in the Indian Parliament, Hussain said similar fears had been raised in several states, including Haryana, Bihar and Maharashtra. He said the issue had created anxiety among opposition parties across the country.
Hussain spoke about the debate around Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and said the Election Commission had earlier indicated that no new SIR would be undertaken. He claimed that despite this, steps resembling a special revision were now being carried out under different names.
He said that summary revision of electoral rolls is a regular and continuous process and should normally be sufficient. According to him, there was no justification for what appeared to be a special revision exercise, especially when the NRC process itself had faced challenges and criticism.
Hussain also highlighted provisions of the Election Commission’s own manuals. He pointed out that bulk objections to voter names are not permitted under Clause 11.3.2 of the Manual on Electoral Rules, 2023. Only individual applications are allowed, he said, yet bulk objections were being filed at multiple locations.
He further referred to Clause 11.5.3 of the same manual, which requires Electoral Registration Officers to share weekly lists of claims and objections with all recognised political parties. Hussain alleged that these procedures were not being followed properly, leaving political parties in the dark.
Hussain said that political parties should be called for meetings and personally handed over details of claims and objections. He said transparency was essential to maintain trust in the election process. “If rules exist but are not followed, then the purpose of having rules is defeated,” he said.
Despite his criticism, Hussain said that the Election Commission of India remains an independent constitutional authority and must act impartially. He said any perception of bias or silence in the face of serious allegations would damage public confidence.
Both leaders said that the right to vote is fundamental in a democracy and any attempt to remove names unfairly from the electoral rolls amounts to disenfranchisement. They warned that even small errors could affect thousands of voters across constituencies.
The Congress leaders said they would continue to raise the issue at every level and would not hesitate to approach constitutional authorities and courts if required. They also appealed to the public to check their names in the electoral rolls and report discrepancies immediately.
