APW Submits Memorandum to Assam CEO, Seeks Deletion of “41 Lakh Illegal Voters” from Electoral Rolls

The rights organisation Assam Public Works (APW) on Thursday has submitted a detailed memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Assam, urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to delete what it claims are over 41 lakh “illegal voters” registered in Assam’s electoral rolls prior to 2006.

In the memorandum, addressed to the CEO at Janata Bhawan, Dispur, APW stated that it has been engaged for over 24 years in campaigns against terrorism, corruption, and issues affecting the rights and liberties of indigenous people. APW is also the primary petitioner in WP (C) 274/2009, the case related to the updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), currently pending before the Supreme Court of India.

APW said that based on information earlier provided by the ECI and its own verification of voter lists dating back to 1951, it found more than 41 lakh ineligible names in Assam’s electoral rolls. The organisation stated that the ECI had acknowledged these numbers in an affidavit to the Supreme Court, after which the apex court admitted APW’s petition. Groups such as AASU and AMSU also later joined the case.

The memorandum recalls that during Supreme Court hearings, it was agreed that the detection and deletion of illegal voters would be taken up after the completion of the NRC. The draft NRC was subsequently published on August 31, 2019 under the supervision of the Supreme Court.

APW noted that controversies emerged after the draft publication regarding alleged forged documents and manipulated entries, which it believes can be corrected during the final claims and objections process.

The organisation made the following key demands before the ECI:

1. Deletion of all names among the 41 lakh allegedly illegal voters registered before 2006, identified during the process of verifying electoral rolls.

2. Deletion of descendants—sons, daughters, grandchildren—of those identified as illegal voters, citing ECI statements and Supreme Court observations.

3. Safeguarding the constitutional right to vote, urging the ECI to curb alleged attempts by vested interest groups from outside Assam to influence the voter rolls.

4. Special monitoring and action by the ECI to prevent any misuse of electoral processes in the state.

The memorandum was signed by APW President Aabhijeet Sharma and General Secretary Dhrubajyoti Talukdar.

Also Read: APW Submits Memorandum to Assam CEO Seeking Deletion of Alleged Illegal Voters