Guwahati, Jan 24: Opposition parties in Assam have urged the Election Commission (EC) to prevent the deletion of eligible voters’ names from electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Revision (SR), citing alleged misuse of Form 7 by BJP agents to target genuine citizens, particularly from minority communities.

In a joint statement, Left parties including CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML), All India Forward Bloc, and SUCI(C) claimed that Form 7, which allows requests for deletion due to death, permanent relocation, multiple enrollment, underage status, or non-citizenship, is being misused. They alleged that hundreds of complaints are being filed using single names without the complainants’ knowledge, including false claims of deaths. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were reportedly under pressure from BJP leaders to remove minority voters’ names.

The parties also pointed to inadequate infrastructure for hearings, short notice periods for affected voters, and a tight February 2 deadline for resolving claims and objections. They demanded punitive action against frivolous filings and additional safeguards to protect eligible voters.

Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev echoed these concerns in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, highlighting bulk Form 7 submissions where complainants could not be traced. In Borkhola constituency, residents accused a BJP Booth Level Agent of filing 22 false objections.

Data from the Assam Chief Electoral Officer’s website shows high numbers of objections filed: 15,304 in Silchar, 10,249 in Barkhetri, 10,151 in Hajo-Sualkuchi, 9,671 in Katigorah, and 8,602 in Mangaldai.

Dev requested that hearings be extended by seven days beyond February 2 to ensure a fair process and that updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) names be included in the final electoral rolls, scheduled for release on February 10.