NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Tuesday published the final electoral rolls for Assam after the Special Revision (SR) exercise. Over 2.43 lakh names were removed from the draft list ahead of the Assembly elections due in the coming months.According to a statement issued by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Assam, the final voter list now includes 2,49,58,139 electors, marking a 0.97 per cent decline from the draft roll published on December 27 last year. The draft list had recorded 2,52,01,624 voters.The final roll comprises 1,24,82,213 male voters, 1,24,75,583 female voters and 343 third-gender voters, the CEO’s office said.The deletions followed the completion of the claims and objections process under the SR exercise. During verification, authorities identified 4,78,992 deceased electors, 5,23,680 voters who had shifted residence and 53,619 cases of multiple entries. These changes were reflected only in the final roll after due process.The Special Revision exercise had earlier shown a 1.35 per cent increase compared to the previous final roll published in January 2025, before subsequent verification-led deletions.The CEO’s office clarified that electors whose names were removed on the grounds of having “permanently shifted” still have legal remedies available. Under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, affected voters can appeal against deletion within 15 days to the district magistrate and file a second appeal within 30 days to the Chief Electoral Officer.Eligible voters who could not apply for address changes earlier, especially those displaced due to eviction drives or administrative actions can now apply for re-inclusion at their new address, officials said.“If they could not apply for shifting of their names before deletion, they can now apply for inclusion under the RP Act,” an election official told PTI.The CEO has issued detailed instructions to all district election officers (DEOs) in this regard. The letter highlights that during the SR process, some voters were removed as “permanently shifted” but could not submit the required forms because only one application can be processed during a single revision cycle.Such voters may now submit Form 6, meant for inclusion in the electoral roll, provided they were unable to file Form 8 earlier due to an ongoing objection or deletion process under Form 7. Officials have been directed to conduct rigorous verification to ensure that no ineligible voter is added while safeguarding the rights of eligible citizens.The SR exercise, however, triggered political controversy in Assam. Opposition parties alleged that the revision was being misused for “vote theft” and claimed that genuine citizens particularly from a religious minority community were being harassed.Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier stated that notices were being issued mainly to “Miyas” to keep them “under pressure” and claimed that BJP workers had filed more than five lakh complaints against alleged illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.The term “Miya,” historically used as a pejorative for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, has in recent years been reclaimed by sections of the community as a symbol of assertion.Meanwhile, the Election Commission also provided an update on electoral roll revision in West Bengal. The ECI has extended timelines for the state’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), pushing the final publication date to February 14 citing extensive enumeration work and the need for polling station rationalisation.In West Bengal, house-to-house verification concluded on December 11 last year, draft rolls were published on December 16 and claims and objections were accepted until January 15.Reiterating its stand, the Election Commission urged citizens across states to actively participate in roll revision exercises, stressing that accurate and updated electoral rolls are essential for free and fair elections.
