GUWAHATI : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday asserted that “Bangladeshi Miyas” are residing in the state and said the BJP has filed nearly five lakh complaints during the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls, describing the exercise as a national responsibility aimed at identifying foreigners.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Sivasagar, Sarma claimed that “unknown people” who were not earlier present in Assam are now living in several districts of Upper Assam. He said that if individuals who have recently entered the state receive notices during the SR process, it would indicate their status as foreigners.

The Chief Minister said the term “Miya,” earlier used as a pejorative reference to Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, is now being openly adopted by some members of the community as a form of assertion. He alleged that such claims were being made by “doubtful” individuals and added that the Election Commission of India would scrutinise the complaints filed during the revision exercise.

Maintaining that the identification of foreigners is not the responsibility of the BJP alone, Sarma said every political party should take part in the process. He accused opposition parties of failing to lodge objections and instead attempting to project that there are no Bangladeshi nationals in Assam. “The BJP is against foreigners, and it works accordingly,” he said, adding that party workers filed complaints because they believe foreigners are present in the state.

Referring to official figures, Sarma said Assam recorded a 1.35 per cent increase in voters in the integrated draft electoral roll published on December 30 after the Special Revision. He further claimed that “Bangladeshi Miyas” have entered various Upper Assam districts in recent years, including Duliajan, Sarupathar and Golaghat, and alleged that such individuals are purchasing increasing amounts of land, particularly in Tinsukia district.

Sarma said Tinsukia was once perceived as being largely inhabited by Hindi and Bengali-speaking populations, but claimed that the number of what he described as “unknown Bangladeshi Miyas” has since risen sharply. “So, no place is safe in Assam,” he remarked.

According to the Chief Minister, the draft electoral roll prepared after the SR lists a total of 2,52,01,624 electors, with 78,684 additions and 4,47,196 deletions recorded between January 6 and December 27. He said the revision process identified 4,78,992 deceased voters, 5,23,680 voters who had shifted, and 53,619 cases of multiple enrolment.

However, Sarma clarified that the Election Commission has not yet removed or shifted these names, as such actions can only be taken after formal applications are submitted during the claims and objections period. Claims and objections were invited from December 27 to January 22, with special campaign dates held on January 3-4 and January 10-11. The final electoral roll, he said, will be published on February 10, 2026.

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