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Guwahati, Nov 17 (IANS) The Assam government on Monday welcomed the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to conduct a special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls with January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date.
Terming it a timely step towards maintaining clean, updated and accurate electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming electoral activities, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday noted that Assam will extend “full cooperation” to the ECI to ensure that the revision process is completed in a transparent, efficient and timely manner.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the Chief Minister said the initiative will help ensure that all eligible citizens are included in the list while removing discrepancies.
The SIR, which aims to streamline the enrollment process and address gaps identified in the previous rolls, comes at a sensitive juncture for Assam.
The state, in recent years, has seen intense political and administrative scrutiny over issues of citizenship, documentation and voter list accuracy – particularly in the context of migration and the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The Election Commission had recently faced criticism after Assam was inadvertently removed from the list of states included under the all-India voter list update, a development that raised questions from political parties and civil society groups.
This omission, which has been described in many quarters as a “technical oversight”, has raised apprehensions in a state where the integrity of the voter list is closely linked to socio-political debates over identity and demographic change.
The Election Commission has argued that the amendment will allow fresh nominations of eligible youth turning 18 by January 1, 2026, correction of existing entries and removal of ineligible or duplicate entries.
Assam government officials have also indicated that the district administration will be directed to closely coordinate with ECI supervisors, ensure systematic verification at the booth level and conduct awareness campaigns to encourage eligible citizens to update their documents.
With Assam’s political climate often marked by debates over citizenship and cross-border migration, the special amendment is expected to draw significant public interest as well as scrutiny from opposition parties, who have often questioned the accuracy of the existing rolls.
–IANS
TDR/RAD