Guwahati : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday rejected the Congress party’s allegation of “vote chori” against the ruling BJP, asserting that the charge was baseless as the electoral roll has not yet been published.

Responding to the Opposition’s claims, Sarma said there was no scope for voter theft at this stage of the process. “When no voter list has been published so far, then how can there be ‘vote chori’?” he asked, dismissing the allegations as politically motivated.

The Chief Minister clarified that the state BJP president’s instructions to booth-level agents (BLAs) were limited to ensuring accuracy in the electoral rolls by flagging ineligible names for deletion and facilitating the inclusion of eligible voters.

Such measures, he said, are part of the routine and lawful process prescribed under electoral rules.

Maintaining a clean and accurate voter list is essential for the conduct of free and fair elections, Sarma said, adding that the issue should not be politicised.

He emphasised that the Election Commission of India follows a transparent and well-defined procedure for revising electoral rolls, and that political parties have only a facilitative role through their BLAs.

The Assam Congress had earlier accused the BJP of attempting to manipulate voter lists ahead of the elections, a charge Sarma described as misleading and aimed at creating unnecessary confusion in the run-up to the electoral process.

Promotional | North East Integration Rally