Guwahati: The final electoral roll released after the Special Revision (SR) exercise in Assam reveals contrasting trends across districts, with several Muslim-majority areas registering an increase in voters, while most tribal-dominated and upper Assam districts recorded a decline compared with the draft list.
Data from the Chief Electoral Officer’s website shows that 24 of the state’s 35 districts saw a reduction in electors in the final roll, while 11 districts reported an increase. The changes varied from a few hundred voters to over 30,000 in some districts.
In western and lower Assam, Muslim-majority districts such as Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, and Barpeta recorded a rise in voter numbers, ranging from about 200 in South Salmara to over 25,000 in Barpeta. Central Assam districts like Morigaon and Nagaon also saw increases, whereas Darrang and Hojai reported a decline.
In the Barak Valley, Cachar and Sribhumi experienced a decrease in voters, while Hailakandi recorded an increase. Conversely, all three hill districts—Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong, and West Karbi Anglong, covered under the Sixth Schedule, saw a drop in electoral strength. The five districts in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), also governed under Sixth Schedule provisions, similarly witnessed a decline.
Kamrup and Kamrup (Metropolitan), which includes Guwahati, reported a reduction in voter numbers, and in upper Assam and adjoining northern bank districts, 10 of 11 districts recorded a dip, with only Majuli seeing a marginal increase of around 100 voters.
The Election Commission published the final electoral roll on Tuesday, removing over 2.43 lakh names from the draft list. After completing the claims and objections process under the SR exercise, the final roll now comprises 2.49 crore electors, a 0.97% decrease from the draft figures.
The SR exercise has been politically contentious. Opposition parties have alleged that the process is being misused to target genuine citizens, particularly from minority communities. The Chief Minister had earlier stated that over five lakh complaints were filed by BJP workers against suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, noting that notices were mainly being issued to “Miyas” as part of verification.
The term “Miya,” once used pejoratively to describe Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, has in recent years been reappropriated by parts of the community as a form of cultural and political identity.
With assembly elections approaching, these district-wise shifts in voter numbers are expected to remain a focal point of political debate.