A serious and disturbing controversy has come to light in Assam’s Biswanath Assembly Constituency, where allegations have emerged that living voters were falsely declared dead in an attempt to remove their names from the electoral roll. The alleged incident, centred around Polling Station No. 133 under Kumolia Panchayat, has sparked outrage among villagers and raised troubling questions about the safety of democratic rights in the state.
According to information available from local residents and documents now circulating, a local leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, identified as Chonom Lama, allegedly submitted multiple applications seeking deletion of voters’ names by citing “death” as the reason. Villagers insist that the people named in these applications are alive, living in the area, and have regularly voted in past elections. If proven true, the act would amount to a serious attempt to deny citizens their most basic democratic right.
The alleged applications were submitted using Form-7, a prescribed form under election rules that allows objections or requests for deletion of names from the voter list. In the forms linked to this case, “death” was repeatedly mentioned as the ground for deletion. What has shocked residents is the scale of the alleged attempt. Local sources claim that more than 100 voters from the same polling station were targeted in one stretch, suggesting a pattern rather than an isolated error. 
Copies of the forms, bearing dates and signatures, have reportedly been shared widely among villagers and on social media platforms. Residents say the applications appear to have been filled in bulk and aimed at a specific group of voters. The documents have now become central to demands for a full investigation, as people question how such serious claims could be filed without immediate verification on the ground.
In Kumolia Panchayat, the news has spread fear and disbelief. Many villagers said they first learned about the alleged deletions through neighbours or local political workers. Several affected voters claimed they were never informed, never visited by officials, and never asked to prove their identity or existence before their names were allegedly marked for removal.
One resident, whose name reportedly appeared on one such form, said he was stunned. “I am alive, I live here, everyone in the village knows me. How can someone write that I am dead? If my name is removed, I will not be able to vote. That is my right,” he said. Another villager described the situation as deeply frightening. “This is not only about one election. This is about our identity as citizens. If names can be removed so easily, anyone can be silenced.”
As fear spread, many residents began checking the electoral roll themselves to ensure their names were still listed. Some said the incident has created mistrust, not only towards political parties but also towards the system meant to protect voters.
Opposition leaders have reacted sharply to the allegations. They have described the alleged act as a planned attempt to manipulate the electoral process and have demanded immediate intervention by the Election Commission of India and the district administration. An opposition leader from the area said declaring living citizens dead on official records is not a minor mistake but a serious crime. “This is an attack on democracy. Those involved must be identified and punished,” the leader said.
Notably, there has been no official response so far from the BJP district unit regarding the allegations against Chonom Lama. Local reporters have said attempts to seek a reaction from party representatives have not received any reply. The silence has further angered residents, who believe the matter is too serious to be ignored.
Beyond the alleged role of one individual, the controversy has also raised uncomfortable questions about the election machinery itself. Under election rules, deletion of a voter’s name requires careful checks, including verification by Booth Level Officers and, in cases of death, confirmation from local records or family members. Villagers are now asking how dozens of applications citing death could be submitted without such verification taking place.
Many fear that if the issue had not come to light in time, large numbers of voters could have been quietly removed from the rolls before the next election. Legal experts have pointed out that submitting false information to election authorities is a punishable offence. If the allegations are established, the matter could lead to criminal cases.
Civil society groups and local activists have also stepped in, urging the Election Commission to act swiftly and transparently. They have demanded a complete audit of all deletion requests from Polling Station No. 133 and surrounding areas. Activists have stressed that voters should not be forced to prove that they are alive to retain their right to vote.
The issue has now taken on a wider political dimension after strong remarks from Mira Borthakur Goswami, President of the Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress and a senior Congress leader. Reacting to the Biswanath incident, she said the allegations matched what Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been repeatedly warning about across the country.
She alleged that what happened in Biswanath was not an isolated case but part of a larger pattern. According to her, the BJP in Assam has been attempting to delete thousands of voters from electoral rolls in constituency after constituency. She claimed that such practices were being reported from several places, including parts of Guwahati and other areas of the state.
Mira Borthakur Goswami said party workers and people involved in election-related work had spoken about manipulation at the ground level. She alleged that government-appointed Booth Level Officers were being misused for such activities. “If the BJP wants to win elections, it should show its report card. Removing voters’ names is dangerous, very dangerous for democracy,” she said.
She also criticised the BJP government’s claims on women’s safety, pointing to rising crimes against women and referring to national crime data to argue that the situation on the ground tells a different story. According to her, the BJP’s only real strategy has been to divide people along religious lines, instead of addressing genuine issues.
Appealing to the people of Assam, she said elections should be fought fairly and honestly. “Anyone can win, BJP or Congress, but removing names from the voter list is unacceptable,” she said. She urged citizens to carefully check their names on the electoral rolls and remain alert.
The senior Congress leader also made a strong appeal to the media, calling it the fourth pillar of democracy, to report such cases without fear or favour. She demanded that the Election Commission function independently and neutrally, rather than acting, as she alleged, as a tool of the ruling party.
