Opposition parties file FIR against Assam BJP president over voter list allegations
Guwahati: Allegations have emerged that BJP Assam president Dilip Saikia asked party workers, via an internal video conference, to prepare lists of non-BJP voters in 60 Assembly constituencies and to arrange for their removal from electoral rolls.
In response, the Congress and other opposition parties jointly filed an FIR at Dispur Police Station, seeking a detailed investigation into the matter.
At the time of filing the FIR, Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, former MP Ripun Bora, Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur, AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, Raijor Dal leader Russell Hussain, Kabindra Chetia Phukan, CPI(M) leader Suprakash Talukdar, and CPI(ML) leader Pankaj Kumar Das were present at the police station.
In the FIR, the opposition parties referred to the January 4 video conference and requested the police to collect its video footage. The delegation also urged the police to ensure that no one involved in the alleged conspiracy to manipulate votes escapes accountability.
After filing the FIR, former MP and senior Congress leader Ripun Bora told the media, “Today, all opposition parties have come together to file an FIR at Dispur Police Station against BJP state president Dilip Saikia for violating the laws of the Election Commission and the Representation of the People Act. We have also submitted a memorandum containing five demands to the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam.”
Stating that the issue has received wide media attention, Bora said that the Election Commission should have taken suo motu action, but no such step has been seen so far. “The Election Commission has not taken any action till now. Therefore, all opposition parties have united to file an FIR seeking action against him. The police must investigate the matter and collect the video conference recordings so that the conversation cannot be distorted, and the truth can be presented to the people of Assam,” he added.
It may be mentioned that prior to filing the FIR, the opposition delegation submitted a five-page memorandum containing five demands to the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam. The memorandum detailed how the BJP is allegedly involved in a conspiracy to manipulate votes and urged the Election Commission, as an independent constitutional authority, to intervene immediately and take appropriate action.
The opposition parties also highlighted, through the memorandum, instances in areas such as Bajali, Golakganj, and Sribhumi, where BLOs belonging to a particular community and appointed by the competent authority were allegedly removed from duty or transferred suddenly for ulterior motives.
They demanded that the Election Commission ensure that no individual, including the Chief Minister or the BJP state president, can influence the Special Revision (SR) of the electoral rolls in any manner.
The opposition further demanded a high-level investigation into the objectionable remarks made by the BJP state president during the video conference regarding voter lists of 60 constituencies and sought appropriate action.
They also urged the Commission to direct district election officers and other concerned officials to ensure that bulk objections are not disposed of without proper hearings.
Through the memorandum, the opposition parties demanded that during the entire Special Revision process of the electoral rolls, every election officer and staff member strictly follow the Election Commission’s guidelines and be protected from any pressure by the ruling party.