Guwahati, Jan 6 (NationPress) The Congress party organized a demonstration on Tuesday at the Manabendra Sharma Complex in Dispur, alleging widespread irregularities in the draft electoral rolls recently released in Assam. They accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) of trying to sway the results of the upcoming state Assembly elections through manipulation of voter lists.

The protest, spearheaded by the Guwahati Metropolitan District Congress, saw the attendance of senior leaders, including Mira Borthakur, President of the Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress, Bedabrata Bora, Chairman of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee Media Department, and various Youth Congress officials.

During the rally, Congress leaders labeled the draft electoral rolls as “severely flawed”, claiming that unknown individuals were being added to the voter lists of legitimate households, while eligible voters were being carelessly removed.

Concerns were raised about the appearance of unfamiliar names within the same family's voter list in several neighborhoods, casting doubt on the integrity and transparency of the electoral revision process.

The demonstration featured vigorous chanting against the BJP and the ECI, with party workers alleging a systematic effort at “vote theft”.

Authorities deployed police outside the complex to ensure order, as tensions briefly escalated during the protest.

Mira Borthakur, leading the Mahila Congress group, accused the voter list revision process of being exploited to manipulate electoral outcomes rather than guaranteeing fair elections.

“We vehemently oppose any attempts to conduct the Assam Assembly elections through vote theft. The Election Commission is behaving like a BJP affiliate. We will not permit elections to proceed based on erroneous voter lists,” she stated while calling for a CBI investigation into the alleged involvement of Dilip Saikia, President of Assam BJP.

Youth Congress leaders expressed similar worries, warning that the alleged inconsistencies could jeopardize democratic rights in the region.

Iftekhar Younis, General Secretary of the APCC Media Department, claimed that during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, voters from other states were being registered in Assam, while authentic Assamese voters were being excluded.

“What Rahul Gandhi previously highlighted as vote theft is now evident on the ground. Elections should focus on development and governance, not on tampering with voter lists,” Younis remarked.

The Congress party drew comparisons to allegations made after the Bihar Assembly elections, asserting that a similar pattern is resurfacing in Assam following the release of the draft rolls.

The BJP and Assam government have dismissed these accusations.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reiterated that the creation of electoral rolls is exclusively the responsibility of the ECI.

“Objections can be raised until January 22. Political parties should utilize institutional mechanisms instead of resorting to protests,” CM Sarma concluded.