Fraud or Failure? Congress Alleges Living Voters Declared Dead in Assam

Guwahati: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Friday leveled serious allegations against the BJP, claiming the party attempted to manipulate electoral rolls in Biswanath by falsely declaring living voters dead. 

The revelations came during a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan, where Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress President Mira Borthakur and APCC Media Chairman Bedabrat Bora addressed the media.

Borthakur alleged that BJP leaders, including Jiten Saikia and a local supporter surnamed Lama, conspired to delete votes of more than 70 individuals at Polling Station No. 133 in the Kumalia area of Biswanath constituency by submitting fraudulent Form 7 applications to the Election Commission.

At the press conference, she presented 79 Form 7 forms, highlighting that the listed “deceased” voters were, in fact, alive and included a significant number of young Muslim citizens who have been actively exercising their voting rights for years.

“BJP is trying to suppress votes through systemic manipulation of electoral rolls, targeting minority communities, and exploiting administrative mechanisms to retain power,” Borthakur stated.

She accused the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government of diverting public attention with propaganda while borrowing heavily each month, failing to address real issues confronting Assam’s people.

Borthakur further claimed the BJP government has misled indigenous Assamese under the guise of protecting jati, mati, bheti (identity, land, and hearth), promising Scheduled Tribe status but failing to deliver. She also alleged that the party is attempting to replicate Bihar–Haryana-style politics in Assam by leveraging “tenant voters” to sustain its rule.

“Distressed by corruption and oppression, many BJP leaders and workers are now in contact with the Congress to join us. The government’s poor performance has forced it to misuse the Election Commission to cling to power,” Borthakur added.

She asserted that credible pre-election surveys point toward a clear mandate in favor of Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi as Assam’s next Chief Minister.

Speaking at the same event, APCC Media Chairman Bedabrat Bora slammed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for failing to ensure employment and safety for Assamese youth. Despite promises of providing jobs to one lakh youths annually, Bora said, many educated Assam youths are compelled to seek work outside the state, often facing life-threatening risks.

He cited the tragic case of 30-year-old Kailash Nath from Bamunarbari village in Jamugurihat, Sonitpur, who was attacked while returning from work outside Assam during Bihu and later succumbed to his injuries in Jharkhand. “Repeated death threats had been made to him before his murder. Yet, the government has done nothing to protect its youth or provide any meaningful employment opportunities,” Bora said, holding the Chief Minister accountable for the failure to safeguard Assamese citizens within the country.

The press conference was also attended by APCC General Secretary Udit Bhanu Das and Media Department State Coordinator Gopal Sharma.

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