Assam CM accuses Congress of blaming poll bodies for defeats; claims party lacked agents at 70% of polling stations in Nagaon bypoll
Guwahati, Oct 12: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to contest elections using ballot papers, while accusing the Congress of blaming electoral institutions for its defeats instead of examining its declining political fortunes.
Addressing a press conference, Sarma defended the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and questioned the Congress’s criticism of electronic voting machines (EVMs).
He asked why the Congress questioned the electoral process in Assam and West Bengal but accepted results when it won elections in other states under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Sarma challenged Gandhi to declare that the Congress would stop contesting elections as long as Gyanesh Kumar remained in office. He said electoral disputes should be pursued through constitutional and legal channels rather than through protests against institutions.
The chief minister also questioned the Congress’s electoral performance across several states, arguing that its setbacks predated both Narendra Modi becoming Prime Minister and Gyanesh Kumar taking charge as Chief Election Commissioner.
Citing the party’s prolonged absence from power in states including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Odisha, Nagaland and Tripura, Sarma said the Congress leadership needed to examine the reasons for its losses rather than repeatedly allege vote theft.
Nagaon bypoll: claim over polling agents
Sarma also claimed that the Congress had failed to deploy polling agents in around 70% of polling stations during the Nagaon by-election.
He alleged that the BJP, the UBF and independent candidates had managed to appoint polling agents, while the Congress was struggling to find enough people for the task.
Challenges over ballot papers
On the opposition’s criticism of EVMs, Sarma said he was willing to contest elections using ballot papers in Assam. He also challenged Gandhi to seek a fresh electoral contest in Kerala and Mamata Banerjee to agree to ballot-paper voting in selected constituencies in West Bengal.
He questioned why opposition parties raised doubts about EVMs after electoral defeats despite having won elections using the same system.
Sarma defends SIR
The chief minister defended the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, arguing that voter-list verification was necessary to identify ineligible entries and protect the integrity of elections.
He proposed that intensive revisions be conducted every five years and referred to alleged demographic changes in Assam and other states.
Sarma also cited a claim attributed to former Union home minister Indrajit Gupta that around 30 lakh foreign nationals had been included in Assam’s electoral rolls. The figure and its attribution require independent verification.
Criticism of Congress protests
Sarma criticised the Congress’s protests in Delhi against electoral institutions, alleging that people had been brought from Assam to participate in the demonstrations. He also questioned the significance of reports that around 200 government officials had met Gandhi, saying the meeting did not indicate that the bureaucracy as a whole supported the Congress.
He warned against what he described as attempts to pressure the Election Commission and the Supreme Court, arguing that disputes should be resolved through established legal procedures.
The chief minister also criticised Gandhi’s remarks concerning religious traditions and the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, accusing the Congress leader of using religious symbolism for political purposes. He raised allegations of foreign influence in Indian politics, including references to George Soros, without establishing evidence for the claims in his remarks as supplied.
Sarma announced that the Assam BJP would organise peaceful marches at district headquarters in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and democratic institutions.
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