More than 10.56 lakh names have been removed from Assam’s electoral rolls after a Special Revision exercise, just months ahead of the state Assembly elections. Assam is expected to go to the polls in less than six months.
According to the integrated draft rolls released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday, the state now has 2,51,09,754 registered voters. This figure does not include 93,021 D-voters, also known as doubtful voters.
The ECI said officials deleted 10,56,291 entries from the rolls due to death, migration, or duplication of voter records.
Why were so many names deleted from Assam’s voter rolls?
Election officials carried out the deletions as part of a Special Revision aimed at cleaning up the electoral database. The process focused on removing deceased voters, those who had shifted residence, and duplicate entries, while correcting errors in names, ages and addresses.
While a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls is currently underway in 12 states and Union Territories — including Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal — the Election Commission ordered a separate Special Revision exclusively for Assam.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar explained the reasoning, saying, “Under the Citizenship Act, there are separate provisions for citizenship in Assam. Under the supervision of the Supreme Court, the exercise of checking citizenship is about to be completed.”
Officials added that the Special Revision falls between the annual special summary revision and the larger Special Intensive Revision process.
What is the aim of the Special Revision?
According to the Election Commission, the exercise aimed to create an error-free voter list by enrolling eligible voters who were previously left out, correcting clerical mistakes, removing deceased and migrated voters, and identifying duplicate entries.
Following the rationalisation of the rolls, Assam now has a total of 31,486 polling stations.
Who are D-voters?
D-voters are individuals in Assam who have been disenfranchised due to alleged gaps or inconsistencies in their citizenship documents. Special tribunals constituted under the Foreigners Act, 1946, identify such voters.
People classified as D-voters do not receive voter identity cards. However, the Election Commission has carried forward all their details — including names, ages and photographs — unchanged in the draft electoral rolls.
How was the verification carried out?
The Election Commission published the draft rolls after completing a door-to-door verification exercise conducted between November 22 and December 20 as part of the Special Revision.
