Assam: FIR filed against state BJP Chief Dilip Saikia over alleged voter list manipulation

Guwahati (Assam) [India], January 10 (ANI): The Congress party, along with other opposition parties, is jointly demanding a thorough investigation into alleged voter-roll manipulation involving BJP Assam state president Dilip Saikia, accusing him of attempting to influence the electoral process.
Following a police complaint by the leaders of the Opposition parties, an FIR has been filed at Dispur police station on Friday, amid the allegations that Dilip Saikia, during an internal video conference on January 4, instructed party workers to prepare lists of people who did not vote for the BJP in 60 Assembly constituencies and to make arrangements for deleting their names from the electoral rolls.
Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, former MP Ripun Bora, Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, Raijor Dal leader Russell Hussain, Kabindra Chetia Phukan, CPI(M) leader Suprakash Talukdar and CPI(ML) leader Pankaj Kumar Das were present at the police station at the time of filing the FIR.
In the complaint, the opposition parties referred to and January 4 video conference and demanded that the police collect their footage to ensure a fair probe and accountability for those allegedly involved in what they termed a conspiracy of vote theft.
Speaking to the media after the FIR, former MP and senior Congress leader Ripun Bora said, "Today, all opposition parties have come together to file an FIR at Dispur Police Station against BJP state president Dilip Saikia for violating the laws of the Election Commission and the Representation of the People Act. We have also submitted a memorandum containing five demands to the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam."
Bora said the matter had received widespread media attention and questioned the Election Commission's inaction.
"The Election Commission has not taken any action till now. Therefore, all opposition parties have united to file an FIR seeking action against him. The police must investigate the matter and collect the video conference recordings so that the conversation cannot be distorted, and the truth can be placed before the people of Assam," he added.
Earlier, the opposition delegation submitted a five-page memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam, urging immediate intervention to prevent alleged vote theft. The memorandum highlighted instances in Bajali, Golakganj and Sribhumi, where Booth Level Officers (BLOs) belonging to a particular community were allegedly removed or transferred with ulterior motives.
The opposition demanded that the Election Commission ensure that no individual, including the Chief Minister or the BJP state president, is able to influence the Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls. They also called for a high-level investigation into the remarks allegedly made by Dilip Saikia during the video conference regarding voter lists of 60 constituencies.
Additionally, the memorandum urged the Commission to direct district election officers to ensure that bulk objections during the SR process are not disposed of without proper hearings and that election officials strictly follow Election Commission guidelines without pressure from the ruling party. (ANI)