Following claims that BJP state president Dilip Saikia gave party employees instructions during a video conference to compile lists of voters who did not support the BJP in up to 60 Assembly constituencies and to assist in the removal of their names from the electoral rolls, Assam's political climate is still tense.
Taking the allegation seriously, the Congress and a number of other opposition parties together filed a First Information Report (FIR) at the Dispur Police Station on Friday, requesting a comprehensive probe.
Also, the opposition party sent a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Assam, urging the prevention of vote stealing. In advance of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, they claimed that Saikia's acts amounted to a plot to tamper with the voter list.
Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, former MP Ripun Bora, Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, and leaders of the Raijor Dal, CPI(M), and CPI(ML) were among the opposition group present when the FIR was filed.
The opposition also mentioned the purportedly January 4 video conference in the FIR and asked the police to secure and review its video tape right away. Additionally, they asked the police to make sure that no one connected to the purported plot to "steal votes" be spared punishment.
Senior Congress politician and former MP Ripun Bora addressed the media following the filing of the FIR, saying, "Today, all opposition parties have come together to file a FIR against BJP state president Dilip Saikia for violating Election Commission norms and laws related to public representation." Additionally, we have sent the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam a five-point memo.
Bora noted that the Election Commission had not yet taken suo motu action in spite of extensive media coverage of the matter. The opposition also called for appropriate measures and a high-level probe of the BJP state president's offensive comments on the voter lists of 60 constituencies during the video conference.
Additionally, they asked the Commission to instruct district election officers and other relevant election officials to make sure that mass objections are not dismissed without due process.
Through the memorandum, the opposition parties urged that all election officers and personnel adhere precisely to the Election Commission's guidelines and be shielded from any pressure from the ruling party throughout the whole Special Revision (SR) process of the electoral rolls.
