The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has announced plans to appoint ‘Vote Rakshaks’ across all 31,486 polling booths in the state, stepping up its campaign to protect electoral rolls amid allegations of discrepancies in voter registration and growing criticism of the Election Commission of India.
The announcement was made at a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan, where Congress leaders raised concerns over the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls, questioned the Election Commission’s functioning and outlined the party’s organisational strategy ahead of upcoming elections.
Former MLA Satyabrata Kalita, APCC General Secretary (Administration) Bipul Gogoi and Media and Communications Department chairman Bedabrata Bora addressed the media.
Congress Questions Need for Fresh Voter Roll Revision
Kalita criticised the Election Commission for undertaking another revision exercise within eight months of publishing the draft electoral roll on February 5. He described the development as unusual and attributed it to declining public confidence in the poll body, protests and legal challenges over the electoral process.
Taking a swipe at Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Kalita sarcastically referred to the Chief Minister’s alleged praise of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying that even someone supposedly deserving a Bharat Ratna had been compelled to initiate another revision.
With the final electoral roll targeted for publication in November, Kalita urged young people and all eligible citizens who have turned 18 to enrol themselves by submitting Form 6.
He also called for the offline registration process to remain accessible, particularly for people in rural areas who may face difficulties using online services.
According to Kalita, shifting responsibilities previously handled by Circle Officers to the District Commissioner’s office has created inconvenience for ordinary citizens and village heads.
Congress Flags Awareness Campaign, Objection Rules
The former legislator also questioned the Election Commission’s voter awareness campaign, claiming that the party’s demand for at least 10 hoardings in each constituency had not been accepted because of budgetary constraints.
He argued that a body spending substantial sums on elections should allocate adequate resources to ensure accurate electoral rolls and public awareness.
Kalita also raised concerns over the rule limiting complaints or objections against voter list discrepancies to a maximum of 10 individuals per complainant, questioning whether the restriction could make it harder to report irregularities.
Claiming that errors in electoral rolls could undermine the credibility of an election, he launched a political attack on the state government.
“An election conducted based on a flawed voter list can never be valid,” Kalita said, demanding that the government resign and seek a fresh mandate after a revised electoral roll is prepared.
He further alleged that the BJP could attempt to prevent young voters from being enrolled amid growing dissatisfaction among the youth. The allegation was made by the Congress leader and was not independently established at the press conference.
Kalita Questions SIT Probe Into Zubeen Garg’s Death
Kalita also turned his criticism towards the investigation into the death of singer Zubeen Garg, questioning the Special Investigation Team (SIT) following the recent grant of bail to two accused.
Referring to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s earlier statement in the Assam Legislative Assembly that one person had committed the murder while four others had assisted, Kalita questioned why the SIT had not sought clarification from the Chief Minister about the identities of those individuals.
He described the bail developments as part of an alleged conspiracy and mocked the government’s earlier assurances of a watertight chargesheet.
“The SIT was supposed to submit a watertight chargesheet, but that water has now leaked and caused a flood,” Kalita said.
He demanded that the Chief Minister publicly disclose the names of the alleged perpetrators and their accomplices, and substantiate his earlier statements. These were allegations and questions raised by Kalita; the press conference did not establish any wrongdoing by the Chief Minister or the investigating team.
‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ Campaign Across Assam
APCC General Secretary Bipul Gogoi outlined the party’s wider campaign demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
He said the nationwide ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ campaign, led by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, was being conducted across Assam’s 35 districts and 301 blocks.
According to Gogoi, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has appointed seven senior observers for Assam, while APCC president Gaurav Gogoi has named 102 observers to oversee the campaign.
The observers will visit district and block headquarters, address press conferences and mobilise public support at the grassroots level.
Gogoi alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre intended to use the Chief Election Commissioner as a political instrument ahead of assembly elections scheduled in several states between 2027 and 2029, as well as the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Emphasising the need for an independent poll body, he cited former Chief Election Commissioner T.N. Seshan as an example of strong and impartial leadership.
He also argued that legislation passed by governments elected on the basis of compromised electoral rolls could face questions over their democratic legitimacy.
One ‘Vote Rakshak’ for Every Polling Booth
The APCC’s proposed ‘Vote Rakshak’ initiative will cover all 31,486 polling booths and 669 municipal wards across Assam.
Under the plan, designated party workers will monitor electoral rolls in their respective areas, check whether eligible voters have been omitted or deleted improperly, and flag suspected fraudulent entries.
The party said the Vote Rakshaks would work in coordination with booth, mandal and block presidents to ensure that eligible voters are registered and electoral roll discrepancies are brought to attention.
Bedabrata Bora said the initiative was intended to protect the integrity of the voter list and safeguard citizens’ democratic rights.