Assam Minister Pushes for Regular Voter Roll Purges

Guwahati: Assam Cabinet Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah wants a Special Intensive Revision of state electoral rolls every five years. He insists the audit is vital to purge the voter list of any foreign nationals. This call follows a long history of intense political debate over electoral integrity and illegal immigration in the state.

The minister referenced the six-year anti-foreigners agitation that roiled Assam from 1979 to 1985. That movement specifically targeted illegal immigrants. Baruah remains focused on those old goals. "Everyone wants an SIR in Assam. Not a single foreigner's name should remain on Assam's voter list," he said.

Baruah also went after Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party. He claims the opposition blames electronic voting machines whenever they lose elections. He dismissed their push to return to paper ballots as a weak excuse for poor performance. "Congress never stands with the public, which is why they keep losing. And after losing, they blame EVMs, sometimes ballot papers, or make other excuses," he argued.

Meanwhile, the minister touted the BJP's popularity at a Jan Jagaran Samdal rally in Nalbari. Organizers claimed 30,000 people attended the event. Baruah told the crowd that women and young voters are backing the party. He finished by attacking groups that oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act. He considers their stance harmful to national interests. Any actual change to the revision cycle depends on electoral authorities.