The All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) has approached the Election Commission of India seeking clarity and safeguards on the linkage between the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and electoral rolls in Assam, amid concerns over potential disenfranchisement during the ongoing revision of voters’ lists.
In a memorandum submitted to the Commission, the organisation said Assam remains the only state where an NRC exercise has been carried out, making the issue of citizenship and voting rights particularly sensitive. It argued that the names of individuals included in the NRC should be reflected in the final electoral rolls, stating that failure to do so would undermine the purpose of the NRC exercise.
At the same time, AAMSU said that those excluded from the NRC should not have their names deleted from the voters’ list until all available legal remedies are exhausted. It maintained that removal at this stage would be premature and legally unsustainable.
Referring to the legal position of the NRC, the students’ body noted that although the final list was published in 2019 and excluded 19,06,657 people, it has not been formally notified by the Registrar General of India. In the absence of such notification, it said, the NRC does not carry statutory validity and cannot be treated as the sole basis for deciding voting rights.
The memorandum, signed by AAMSU president Imtiaz Hussan and general secretary Minnatul Islam, also flagged what it described as “serious anomalies” in the ongoing Special Revision of electoral rolls ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections. It warned that procedural lapses could result in the exclusion of genuine voters if corrective steps are not taken.
AAMSU further alleged that public remarks by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other ruling party leaders regarding the deletion of names of people evicted from land amounted to interference in the electoral process. The organisation argued that eviction, by itself, is not a legally valid ground for removal from the voters’ list. It also accused some election officials of preventing genuine applicants, particularly those affected by land evictions, from filing Form 8, which is used for corrections such as changes in address.
Calling for immediate intervention, the organisation urged the Election Commission to restrain political leaders from influencing the Special Revision through public statements or administrative pressure. It also sought strict instructions to field officials to stop rejecting bulk objections without individual hearings and to ensure that applicants are not harassed during verification.
Stressing the need for transparency and fairness, AAMSU appealed for clear and uniform guidelines for all officials involved in the revision exercise, stating that efforts to maintain electoral integrity must also safeguard citizens’ voting rights.
According to official data, Assam’s Special Revision has so far recorded an electorate of 2,51,09,754, excluding doubtful voters. A total of 10,56,291 names have been deleted on grounds such as death, change of residence and multiple enrolments. The exercise is aimed at producing an error-free voters’ list by enrolling eligible citizens, correcting clerical errors, updating addresses, removing deceased voters and eliminating duplicate entries.
The Integrated Draft Electoral Roll was published on December 27, and the period for filing claims and objections is currently open. The Election Commission is scheduled to release the final voters’ list on February 10, amid growing political and legal scrutiny over voter eligibility in Assam.
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