New Delhi: The Election Commission on Tuesday released the final electoral roll of Assam after the special revision (SR) exercise. More than 243,000 names have been removed from draft lists ahead of parliamentary elections due in the coming months.According to a statement issued by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Assam, the final electoral list now includes 2,49,58,139 electors, which is 0.97 per cent less than the draft list announced on December 27 last year. The draft list recorded 2,52,01,624 voters.The CEO’s office said the final voter list included 1,24,82,213 male voters, 1,24,75,583 female voters and 343 third gender voters.These removals are made after the claims and objections process under the SR activity is completed. During the verification process, authorities found 478,992 dead voters, 523,680 migrant voters, and 53,619 multiple-entry cases. These changes are reflected in the final volume only after due process.Earlier, special revision work revealed an increase of 1.35% compared to the last final volume released in January 2025, which was subsequently verified leading to deletion.The chief executive’s office clarified that legal remedies are still available to voters whose names have been removed due to a “permanent transfer”. Under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the affected electorate can file a deletion appeal before the District Magistrate within 15 days and a second appeal before the Chief Electoral Officer within 30 days.Eligible voters who were unable to apply for an address change in advance, particularly those displaced by eviction or administrative action, can now apply to be readmitted to a new address, officials said.“If they were unable to apply for name change 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 Electoral Officers (DEOs) in this regard. The letter highlights that some voters were removed due to “permanent transfers” during the SR process, but the required forms cannot be submitted because only one application can be processed in a revision cycle.These voters can now submit Form 6 for inclusion in the electoral roll, but they cannot submit Form 8 earlier as the objection or deletion process under Form 7 is ongoing. Officials have been directed to conduct strict verification to ensure that no ineligible voters are added while upholding the rights of eligible citizens.However, the SR exercise triggered political controversy in Assam. Opposition parties claimed that the amendment was being misused for “vote theft” and claimed that genuine citizens, especially those from religious minorities, were being harassed.Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said that notices were being issued mainly to ‘mias’ to put them “under pressure” and claimed that over 500,000 complaints had been lodged by BJP workers against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.The term “Miya” has historically been used as a derogatory term for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, and in recent years has been re-visited as a symbol of assertion by sections of the community.Meanwhile, the Election Commission also provided an update on the revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal. The ECI extended the timeline for the state’s Special Intensified Revision (SIR), pushing the final release date to February 14, citing the need for extensive census work and the need for rationalization of polling stations.In West Bengal, house-to-house verification ended on December 11 last year, the draft list was announced on December 16, and claims and objections were accepted until January 15.The Electoral Commission reiterated its stance, urging citizens of various states to actively participate in the electoral roll revision exercise, stressing that accurate and updated electoral rolls are essential for free and fair elections.
