Congress alleges ‘vote theft’ bid through e-KYC in Assam electoral roll revision

Guwahati, Jan 22: Continuing its attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls, Assam Congress, on Thursday, alleged a “systematic attempt” to delete voters’ names through the process.

Addressing a press conference at Ghoramara, Assam Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur claimed that the BJP was seeking to remove nearly 6,000 names from the Dispur Assembly constituency under the pretext of e-KYC verification.

“The Election Commission and the BJP are trying to remove names under the pretext of the e-KYC verification process. In the Dispur constituency, very tactically, around 6,000 people’s names are being targeted,” she said, alleging that operators of fair-price shops were being harassed to facilitate the deletions.

She claimed that in areas such as Hatigaon, Ghoramara, Sijubari and Dakhingaon, fair-price shopkeepers were being pressured in the name of e-KYC ration verification, despite not being authorised to conduct such checks.

“First, names will be removed through e-KYC, and later, the same names will be deleted from the voter list,” Borthakur alleged.

The e-KYC stands for “electronic Know Your Customer”, a digital process to verify identity without physical documents.

She further accused the Election Commission of acting “hand-in-glove” with the BJP despite multiple complaints being submitted.

“The Election Commission is working like a BJP morcha. No matter how many complaints are submitted, they do not have the courage to act against them,” she alleged.

Drawing parallels with Bihar, Borthakur claimed that a similar “vote theft model” was now being implemented in Assam.

She alleged that in constituencies where the BJP traditionally secures fewer votes, between 8,000 and 10,000 names were being deliberately deleted.

“So I ask the Election Commission - will you work for the BJP, or will you work on behalf of the people of Assam?” she said.

The allegation of “vote theft” has emerged as a key Opposition plank ahead of the Assam Assembly elections.

Principal Opposition in Assam, Congress has been raising the issue since 2025, when Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi held multiple press conferences alleging manipulation of electoral rolls in Karnataka and Bihar.

Concerns over the Special Revision of electoral rolls have also been flagged by other Opposition parties in Assam, including Raijor Dal and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF).