India News | Assam Congress to Appoint ‘Vote Rakshaks’ at Polling Booths Amid Voter List Revision Concerns

Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 24 (ANI): The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) addressed an important press conference at Rajiv Bhawan regarding the Special Summary Revision (SSR) process of the electoral rolls.

According to the party's statement, former MLA Satyabrata Kalita, APCC General Secretary (Administration) Bipul Gogoi, and Media and Communications Department Chairman Bedabrata Bora were present at the press conference, presenting detailed facts regarding the role of the Election Commission, discrepancies in the voter list, and the party's organisational roadmap. 

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Moderating the press conference, Bedabrat Bora stated that serious debates and discussions are currently underway across the country as well as at the international level regarding the functioning of the Election Commission of India. Against this backdrop, an all-party meeting was held with the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam, attended by senior Congress leader Ripun Bora, former MLA Satyabrata Kalita, and MLA A. K. Rasheed Alam, where they were apprised of the Commission's revision process.  

Addressing the media, former MLA Satyabrata Kalita sharply criticised the Election Commission over the Special Summary Revision of the electoral rolls.

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He pointed out that having to conduct another summary revision within just eight months of publishing the draft voter list on February 5 is a rare and historic occurrence in Indian politics.

Ordinarily, such revisions do not take place for four, five, or even ten years; however, because the citizens of the country, the youth, and political parties have lost faith in the Election Commission, and due to ongoing agitations reaching up to the Supreme Court, the Commission has been compelled to take this step.

Taking a swipe at the Chief Minister in this regard, Satyabrata Kalita remarked, "To put it in the words of Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Gyanesh Kumar, who allegedly deserves a Bharat Ratna, was forced to initiate the Special Summary Revision once again".

He noted that the target is to wrap up this revision process and publish the final list by this coming November.

Satyabrata Kalita appealed to the student community and youth of Assam, urging every eligible citizen who has completed 18 years of age to actively come forward, fill out Form 6, and ensure their names are enrolled in the voter list. In addition to the online facility, he highlighted the necessity of keeping the offline process fully operational for the convenience of rural citizens. 

He alleged that the responsibility, which was earlier entrusted to Circle Officers, has now been centralised and shifted to the District Commissioner's office, causing significant inconvenience to ordinary citizens and Gaon Pradhans (village heads).  

Criticising the Commission's publicity campaign, he stated that while a demand was raised to install at least 10 hoardings per constituency—amounting to roughly 12,000 hoardings across the state—to generate public awareness, the Commission cited budgetary constraints and chose to restrict its campaign strictly to press meets and social media.

He remarked that it is deeply unfortunate for a Commission that expends thousands of crores of rupees on elections to hesitate to spend adequately on preparing an accurate voter list. Similarly, he drew attention to technical anomalies in the rule stipulating that an individual can submit complaints or objections against a maximum of only 10 persons regarding voter list discrepancies.  

Pointing to errors in the electoral rolls, Kalita questioned the legitimacy of the state government, stating: "An election conducted based on a flawed voter list can never be valid. This government is completely illegitimate. If the Chief Minister has even minimal respect for democracy and the public, he should resign and face fresh elections with a newly revised voter list".

He further expressed concern that, anticipating widespread anger and dissatisfaction among the youth, the BJP might employ tactics to keep new young voters off the electoral roll.  

The former legislator also mounted a sharp offensive against the government regarding the Zubeen Garg incident and its ongoing probe. Calling the recent grant of bail to two accused a planned conspiracy, he recalled that the Chief Minister himself had declared on the floor of the Legislative Assembly that one person committed the murder while four others aided him.

Following up on this statement, Kalita questioned, "It was claimed that the SIT would submit a watertight chargesheet, but that water has now leaked and caused a flood. The Chief Minister's intellect is like that of a fox. Even after declaring in the Assembly that one person murdered and four assisted, why has the SIT not questioned the Chief Minister till date to find out who those individuals were?".

He demanded that the Chief Minister substantiate his words by publicly disclosing the names of the culprits and their accomplices.  

Meanwhile, APCC General Secretary (Administration) Bipul Gogoi addressed the party's organisational strategy, stating that a nationwide movement has gathered momentum demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, the mass agitation campaign titled "Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao" (Save Vote, Save Country) is being carried out across the nation, including across all 35 districts and 301 blocks of Assam. To monitor this program, the AICC has deputed 7 senior observers to Assam, while APCC President Gaurav Gogoi has appointed 102 observers.

These observers will visit district and block headquarters to address press conferences and actively mobilise the public at the grassroots.  

Bipul Gogoi alleged that the central BJP government intends to use the Chief Election Commissioner as a political tool with an eye on the upcoming assembly elections scheduled across various states in 2027, 2028, and 2029, as well as the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

According to the party statement, stressing the necessity of institutional neutrality, he stated, "The Election Commission of India is a constitutional and independent body. There should be no outside interference. Only a strong and impartial figure like TN Seshan can uphold the dignity of the Election Commission". 

He warned that bills passed in Parliament by a government elected on compromised electoral rolls can never be considered morally or democratically valid.  

Announcing an organisational step taken by the Congress party to safeguard the voter list, Bipul Gogoi stated that the APCC has decided to appoint a designated 'Vote Rakshak' (Vote Protector) in each of the 669 municipal wards and across all 31,486 polling booths in Assam. Sincere and dedicated party leaders will be entrusted with this responsibility. These 'Vote Rakshaks' will maintain strict vigilance at their respective booths to ensure that every eligible voter is enrolled, verify whether genuine voters have been deleted through foul play, and prevent any unauthorised or fraudulent entries.

The leaders asserted that, in close coordination with booth presidents, mandal presidents, and block presidents, these 'Vote Rakshaks' will lead the battle to defend democracy at the booth level. Concluding the press meet, Bedabrat Bora reiterated that the Congress party has created the 'Vote Rakshak' post specifically to ensure the purity of the electoral roll and protect democratic rights. (ANI) 

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)