Guwahati, Jan 28: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in the state is affecting only people he referred to as ‘Miyas’ and not Assamese people. He made the remarks while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Digboi.

Sarma stated that those he described as ‘Miyas’ should vote in Bangladesh and not in Assam, and claimed that the current deletions under the SR were only an initial step. He said a proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the future could lead to the cancellation of four to five lakh votes, which he linked to Bangladeshi Muslims.

“There is no problem for Assamese people due to the SR. Only Miyas are facing difficulties,” Sarma said, adding that he was not concerned if they were affected. He also warned of what he described as demographic changes in Upper Assam, citing instances of land sales in Tinsukia district where Hindu landowners allegedly sold property to Muslim buyers. He said authorities needed to be cautious to prevent such changes from spreading to other areas, including Duliajan and Digboi.

Responding to criticism from opposition parties, Sarma said the Congress could continue to accuse him, but claimed his responsibility was to ensure that those he described as non-citizens do not vote in Assam. He reiterated his earlier statements that notices issued under the SR were aimed at keeping pressure on ‘Miyas’ and claimed that Hindus and Assamese Muslims were not affected.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, have alleged that the SR process is being misused to harass genuine citizens, particularly religious minorities. They have claimed that Form 7, which is used for deletion of names from electoral rolls on grounds such as death, migration, duplicate entries, non-citizenship, absence, or underage status, is being applied selectively.

The Election Commission has stated that the Special Revision is being conducted to ensure an error-free electoral roll. The process is being carried out under the supervision of the Supreme Court in matters related to citizenship verification. The integrated draft electoral roll was published on December 27, claims and objections were accepted until January 22, and the final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on February 10.

Assam follows special provisions related to citizenship under the Citizenship Act.