On the eve of polling for the Assam Assembly elections, a controversy over alleged "fake voters" in the New Guwahati constituency has been firmly countered by the district administration, with the Deputy Commissioner (DC) issuing a detailed clarification dismissing the claims as misleading.
The row erupted after a Guwahati resident, Nilakshi Sarma of Ward No. 37 under the 35 No. New Guwahati Legislative Assembly Constituency, alleged in a viral social media video that 12 "unknown individuals" had been fraudulently added as voters at her residence, House No. 33.
Sarma claimed that while only four legitimate voters reside in her household, the official electoral roll reflected a total of 16 electors linked to the same address, raising serious concerns about electoral integrity. She termed the issue "dangerous" and warned of possible misuse of such entries during voting.
However, taking cognisance of the viral video and the allegations, the district administration conducted a summary enquiry and has now categorically rejected the claims of any recent addition of voters.
In an official statement, the DC clarified that none of the individuals listed under House No. 33 in the current electoral roll has been newly added.
According to the findings:
- Seven individuals, including members of the Sarma and Chetri families, were enrolled as voters in the 2014 supplementary electoral roll under the then 53 No. Gauhati East Legislative Assembly Constituency.
- Another group of seven individuals, including members of the Ayengia, Das, Begum, and Chetri families, were added in the 2015 supplementary list under the same constituency.
The administration emphasised that these entries were made over a decade ago and are not recent additions linked to the current election cycle.
The DC further clarified that no fresh applications, through Form 6 (inclusion), Form 7 (deletion), or Form 8 (correction/transfer), have been submitted in connection with the names mentioned in the allegation.
It was also noted that one voter, Neelakshi Sarma, had already been removed from the electoral roll following a change of residence through due procedure.
Addressing the claim that the listed individuals were "unknown," the administration stated that Booth Level Officer (BLO) verification has already been conducted.
"The houses of Tek Bahadur Chetri and Don Ayengia have been physically traced within the polling part area. Initial field reports confirm that these individuals have been residing there for a long time and are not unknown persons," the clarification stated.
The clarification comes amid heightened political sensitivity and scrutiny ahead of voting. The office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Assam, had earlier directed District Election Officers (DEOs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) to take strict action wherever genuine discrepancies are found.
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