Guwahati, 24 October (HS): The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Saturday announced plans to appoint designated ‘Vote Rakshaks’ at all 31,486 polling booths and 669 municipal wards across Assam to safeguard electoral rolls, prevent fraudulent entries and ensure that no eligible voter is deprived of voting rights. The party also intensified its attack on the Election Commission of India and the state government over alleged discrepancies in voter lists, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The announcements were made at a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati, attended by former MLA Satyabrata Kalita, APCC General Secretary (Administration) Bipul Gogoi and Media and Communications Department Chairman Bedabrat Bora.

Addressing the media, Kalita questioned the need for another Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls within eight months of the publication of the draft voter list on February 5. He attributed the move to growing public dissatisfaction with the Election Commission and continuing protests over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.

Kalita urged students and young people who have completed 18 years of age to enrol themselves as voters by submitting Form 6. He also stressed the need to maintain an effective offline registration mechanism, particularly for rural residents.

Alleging that the revision process had been centralised at the District Commissioner’s office, he said the change had created difficulties for ordinary citizens and village heads. He also criticised the Election Commission’s voter awareness campaign, claiming that its decision to rely primarily on press conferences and social media instead of installing hoardings across constituencies was inadequate.

Raising concerns over restrictions on filing objections against discrepancies in electoral rolls, Kalita questioned the validity of elections conducted on the basis of allegedly flawed voter lists. He described the Assam government as “illegitimate” and said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma should resign and seek a fresh mandate through elections based on revised electoral rolls.

The former legislator also criticised the state government over the ongoing investigation into the death of singer Zubeen Garg. Referring to the recent bail granted to two accused, he questioned the progress of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe and sought clarification on the Chief Minister’s earlier statement in the Assembly that one person had committed the murder while four others had assisted. Kalita demanded that the Chief Minister publicly disclose the identities of the alleged perpetrators and their accomplices.

Meanwhile, Bipul Gogoi said the Congress was intensifying its nationwide ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ campaign, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The movement is being organised across all 35 districts and 301 blocks of Assam under the broader national campaign led by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Gogoi said the All India Congress Committee had deputed seven senior observers to Assam, while APCC president Gaurav Gogoi had appointed 102 observers to oversee the campaign. The observers would visit district and block headquarters, address press conferences and mobilise public support at the grassroots level.

Alleging that the BJP-led government at the Centre could use the Election Commission for political purposes ahead of elections scheduled in several states in 2027, 2028 and 2029, as well as the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, Gogoi stressed the importance of an independent and impartial electoral institution. He cited former Chief Election Commissioner T. N. Seshan as an example of strong leadership.

Explaining the role of the proposed ‘Vote Rakshaks’, Gogoi said the designated party representatives would monitor voter registration at their respective polling booths, verify allegations of wrongful deletion of genuine voters and flag suspicious or unauthorised entries. They would work in coordination with booth, mandal and block presidents to protect the integrity of electoral rolls.

Concluding the press conference, Bedabrat Bora said the initiative was aimed at protecting voters’ democratic rights and ensuring transparency in the electoral process.------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash