The senior Congress leader demanded a halt to the finalization of the electoral rolls until “all irregularities are thoroughly verified and resolved” to ensure the removal of all unauthorized or “unknown” voter entries.
Assam has recorded a 1.35% increase in the number of voters as per the integrated draft electoral roll for the state, released on December 30 after the SR was implemented, with months to go for the Assembly elections.
“I write to express my deep concern over the serious irregularities observed during the ongoing SR of the electoral rolls in Assam. Media reports and on-ground feedback indicate unauthorized inclusion of non-Assamese speaking voters and other procedural lapses that threaten the integrity of the electoral process,” Mr Saikia said in his letter to Mr Kumar on Monday (Jan 5, 2026).
He claimed that specific cases have come to light where ‘unknown’ persons have been added as voters in households without the knowledge of the residents.
Mr. Saikia cited examples of four non-Assamese persons registered at House No. 44 and 15 on Tayabulla Road in Guwahati without the knowledge of the family, while voter entries were seen against non-existent Household No. 00 in Nazira constituency.
“Such malpractices often go unnoticed, potentially leading to these ‘unknown’ voters from casting their votes… Inclusion of entries under such fabricated designations not only violates procedural norms but also seriously compromises the verifiability and integrity of the electoral roll, casting serious doubt on the authenticity of the entire revision process,” the Congress lawmaker alleged.
Sounding cautious, Mr. Saikia said such examples of ‘violations’ pose a ‘serious threat’ to the democratic values and security of the people of Assam, including constitutional rights and socio-cultural heritage.
“Furthermore, this incident reinforces Rahul Gandhi’s allegation to the ECI regarding vote manipulation in the consciousness of the electorate and exposes an extensive systemic problem,” he added.
Responding to the opposition’s allegations on the draft list, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said anyone who has objections can “fill form No. 6, 7 and 8 to effect changes in the final voters’ list” as per the established norm.
“Instead of shouting angrily in the media, the opposition should follow established procedures if they have genuine concerns,” he added.
Mr. Saikia also pointed out that the election draft has “removed more than 10 lakh individuals for various reasons” but the emergence of discrepancies indicates that the credibility of the voters list has been “compromised”.
“Therefore, data verification is of utmost importance before finalizing the electoral roll… These malpractices not only violate procedural norms; they represent a violation of the fundamental protections enshrined in Clause 6 of the Assam Accord and ignore the Supreme Court’s directive to uphold this constitutional guarantee,” he said.
In this context, such irregularities can be construed as an alleged attempt to ‘rig’ the upcoming electoral process and thereby ‘undermine’ the decisive vote of the legitimate electorate of Assam, the Congress leader said with concern.
“These discrepancies not only violate election guidelines but also undermine public confidence in the democratic process. In view of these issues, I urge the Election Commission of India to take immediate steps to ensure the credibility of the electoral roll and ensure a free and fair electoral process,” he added.
Mr Saikia demanded that the CEC promptly and transparently investigate all reported discrepancies and make the findings public.
“Stop the finalization of the voter rolls until all irregularities have been thoroughly verified and resolved, and ensure that all unauthorized or ‘unknown’ voter entries are removed,” he said.
Saikia also asked the survey panel to implement a unified addressing system and strengthen authentication protocols to avoid such issues.
“Elections are the cornerstone of our democracy and any compromise in the accuracy of electoral rolls erodes public confidence and democratic values. I trust the ECI will take decisive action to uphold the sanctity of the electoral process in Assam,” he added.
The draft roll reflected a total of 2,52,01,624 voters, representing an increase of 1.35% over the previous final roll published in January 2025.
A total of 7,86,841 additions and 4,47,196 deletions took place from January 6 to December 27 last year.
During the SR process, 4,78,992 deceased voters and 5,23,680 shifted voters were identified. An additional 53,619 multiple entries were detected.
However, the Election Commission of India said these names have not yet been removed. These will only be considered for removal or relocation after formal applications have been received during the current claim and objection period.
Claims and objections can be submitted from December 27 to January 22, with special campaign dates for January 3-4 and January 10-11.
The final voters list will be published on February 10.
Published – Jan 6, 2026 09:30 IST
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