Guwahati, Jan 25 (IANS) Opposition political parties in Assam on Sunday approached the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) with a memorandum alleging large-scale legal violations, political interference and targeted harassment of genuine voters during the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls.

Describing the exercise as “arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional”, the parties warned that lakhs of eligible voters could be excluded from the final rolls scheduled for publication on February 10.

The memorandum accuses election officials at various levels of violating provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the Manual on Electoral Rolls, 2023, and specific directives issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on November 17, 2025.

The opposition has sought immediate corrective intervention to ensure that the revision process remains free, fair and unbiased. According to data cited, the draft electoral roll published on December 27, 2025, included 2.51 crore voters, with authorities claiming complete verification across more than 61 lakh households. The ECI had already identified 4.78 lakh deceased voters, 5.23 lakh shifted voters and 53,619 multiple entries for deletion.

Despite this, the opposition alleged that an unusually high number of bulk objections were filed during the claims and objections period between December 27 and January 22, largely citing death or permanent migration. The parties questioned the credibility of such objections, arguing that it was implausible for such large-scale demographic changes to occur within a short timeframe.

They said Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) should have rejected these objections outright instead of issuing notices. The memorandum further alleged that several objections were fraudulently filed without the knowledge of the listed objectors, misusing EPIC numbers and mobile details. Even so, notices were reportedly issued to voters, in alleged violation of Rule 17 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

The opposition also claimed notices often lacked clear grounds and provided unreasonably short response periods, contrary to ECI norms. Serious concerns were raised over alleged pressure on Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to carry out suo moto deletions of voter names, an act prohibited under ECI guidelines.

Some BLOs, the memorandum claimed, have alleged coercion or misuse of their signatures.

The opposition further alleged that voters displaced by eviction drives were denied the opportunity to file Form 8 for address changes, effectively disenfranchising them.

Accusing political interference, the memorandum pointed to alleged involvement of BJP functionaries at the South Kamrup Co-District Office, citing reports of late-night sittings and bulk issuance of notices.

It also referred to a recent public statement by the Assam Chief Minister, alleging targeted issuance of notices to members of the Miya community, calling it evidence of predetermined bias and a direct assault on electoral neutrality.

The opposition warned that continued interference in the SR process would undermine constitutional guarantees of equality and free and fair elections.

–IANS

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