‘Nothing to Hide’: Assam CM on Voter List Clean-Up Drive

The chief minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, responded on Wednesday to accusations made by opposition leaders, such as Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and MLA Akhil Gogoi, that the state BJP leadership was manipulating voter lists in preparation for the 2026 Assembly elections.

CM Sarma said that the government's main goal is to keep the "clean and accurate voter list." He said this includes finding and removing the names of people who are thought to be illegal migrants from Bangladesh and making sure that the land they have taken over is returned.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that only eligible voters are included in the electoral rolls.  There is nothing to hide here,” Sarma said.  He added that citizens can report suspected illegal voters using Forms 6, 7, and 8 on the Election Commission of India’s website.  Once a complaint is filed, the person in question is issued a notice before any action is taken.

The Chief Minister also highlighted the role of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) in finalising electoral rolls. He said the process ensures that deceased voters or those with duplicate entries across different areas like for example a person is having two names one in Dhemaji and another in Guwahati are removed, thus, maintaining accuracy and preventing disputes during elections.

It may be mentioned that his remarks came amid heightened scrutiny of Assam’s electoral rolls, with opposition parties has been bashing with allegations upon the BJP and its leadership for the last couple of days in the process to target specific communities and influence upcoming elections.

Also Read: What’s Behind the Voter List Row in Assam—and Why? Congress Asks