Guwahati, Jan 22 (NationPress) The Assam Leader of the Opposition, Debabrata Saikia, expressed concerns on Thursday about what he termed a serious threat to democratic values. He accused authorities of executing widespread and incorrect deletions of voters’ names during the summary and special revision of electoral rolls in the Nazira Assembly constituency.

In a comprehensive appeal to the Chief Election Commissioner, Saikia requested immediate action from the Election Commission of India, asserting that many permanent residents of Nazira were unjustly omitted from the updated electoral rolls, even though they had participated in previous elections.

He claimed these deletions were executed without adhering to proper legal protocols.

According to Saikia, numerous individuals affected by this issue belong to indigenous communities that have lived in the constituency for generations, including those from before the Independence era.

Saikia asserted that in several situations, village leaders and gaon pradhans had formally verified that the impacted voters were permanent residents and continued to reside in their respective villages.

Despite such certifications, their names were either removed or flagged as “questionable,” he alleged. Voicing concerns over procedural irregularities, Saikia noted that discussions with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) revealed a lack of transparency and consistency.

He claimed that BLOs could not provide satisfactory justifications for the deletions, raising significant questions about transparency, accountability, and compliance with established guidelines during the electoral roll revision process in Nazira.

The Congress leader further claimed that a considerable number of those impacted belonged to the Muslim community, along with other long-standing indigenous residents. He warned that such trends, if left unchecked, could indicate discriminatory practices in the electoral roll preparation and revision.

Saikia also pointed out cases where voters were inaccurately declared deceased during field verification despite being alive. He suggested that these instances reflected serious flaws in the verification process and indicated potential negligence, misinformation, or severe procedural irregularities at the grassroots level.

Calling for swift corrective action, Saikia urged the Election Commission to initiate a thorough post-verification review of the electoral rolls in Nazira.

He demanded rigorous scrutiny of inaccurate reporting, erroneous data entries, and lapses in accountability, insisting that the final rolls should not unfairly impact any community or group.

He also called for enhanced oversight of BLOs and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, emphasizing that no voter’s name should be deleted without proper notification, a fair hearing, and a reasoned order from an authorized entity.

Stressing that the right to vote is fundamental to democracy, Saikia asserted that it must be protected at all costs.