Guwahati: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Bijoy Malakar, a two-time MLA from 126 Ram Krishna Nagar constituency in southern Assam, is facing renewed allegations over his citizenship ahead of the April 9 Assembly elections, with the Congress sharpening its attack.
Congress candidate Suruchi Roy has framed the contest as a choice between a “daughter of the soil” and a candidate of “doubtful citizenship”, pointing to a pending case against Malakar in the Gauhati High Court. Speaking after filing her nomination papers in Sribhumi district, Roy said the BJP nominee had failed to produce documents establishing his Indian citizenship.
Malakar, who represented the constituency known as Ratabari prior to the 2023 delimitation, rejected the allegations, describing them as politically motivated and routinely raised during elections. He said Bengali Hindus in Assam are often unfairly targeted with such claims and maintained that his citizenship is not in question.
He added that the matter is currently before the court and would be decided through due legal process.
The controversy stems from a writ petition filed in December 2025 by two residents of Barak Valley, who alleged that Malakar and his family entered Assam after the March 25, 1971 cut-off date for citizenship. The petition claims that his name first appeared in the electoral rolls only in 2005, and questions the basis of his inclusion.
It further alleges discrepancies in the identity of his father, linking entries in Indian voter lists to documents purportedly issued in Bangladesh, though these claims are yet to be adjudicated.
The Ram Krishna Nagar constituency is located in Sribhumi district, one of the three districts in the Bengali-majority Barak Valley region, which accounts for 13 Assembly seats.
Allegations of doubtful citizenship have surfaced in previous elections in the region as well. In 2021, BJP legislator Nihar Ranjan Das faced similar accusations while contesting from Dholai.