Raijor Dal president and Independent MLA from Sivasagar, Akhil Gogoi, on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of hatching a large-scale conspiracy to delete the names of anti-BJP voters from Assam’s electoral rolls. Gogoi claimed that the ruling party is planning to remove the names of lakhs of voters across the state ahead of upcoming elections. According to him, the alleged plan targets nearly 10,000 voters in each Assembly constituency, a move he described as a direct attack on democracy and free elections.
Alleged BJP Meeting and SIR Process Claims
Gogoi alleged that the plan was discussed during a virtual BJP meeting held on January 4, which he claimed to have overheard. He said the meeting focused on the strict implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. During the meeting, district and mandal-level BJP workers were allegedly instructed to identify voters who do not support the BJP. Gogoi claimed that these voters would then be targeted during the SIR process to remove their names under the pretext of verification, raising serious concerns about misuse of administrative mechanisms.
Ministers and Booth-Level Officers Named
Escalating his allegations, Gogoi claimed that Assam minister Ashok Singhal has been given the responsibility of overseeing the deletion of voter names in around 60 Assembly constituencies. He further alleged that government-appointed Booth Level Officers are also involved in the process, working in coordination with BJP functionaries. According to Gogoi, this alleged nexus between the ruling party and election-related officials threatens the credibility of the electoral system and could disenfranchise eligible voters on a massive scale if not stopped in time.
BJP Rejects Allegations as Baseless and Political
The BJP strongly rejected Gogoi’s accusations, calling them completely baseless and politically motivated. State BJP president Dilip Saikia said that the party never instructed anyone to delete voter names. He clarified that BJP workers were only asked to monitor the claims and objections process during the SIR exercise to ensure that genuine voters are not left out. Saikia accused the Opposition of spreading misinformation and said similar allegations of “vote theft” were made before the Bihar elections, where the BJP later emerged victorious. He added that the Opposition initially questioned the SIR process and is now making wild allegations to create confusion and distrust ahead of the polls.
