AIUDF Opposes New Survey In Assam, Calls It 'Unnecessary Harassment'

(MENAFN- AsiaNet News)

The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) on Sunday opposed any move to conduct a new socio-economic or citizenship-related survey in Assam, calling it a "waste of time" that would only cause unnecessary harassment to the public.

AIUDF opposes new survey, cites NRC finality

Speaking to ANI on the proposal of a Strategic/Special Information Survey (SIR) in the state, AIUDF General Secretary Rafiqul Islam argued that the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which underwent half a decade of intense scrutiny, should be treated as the final word on the matter.

Islam questioned the logic behind initiating a fresh survey when a massive, Supreme Court-monitored exercise had already been concluded. "... NRC has already been done in Assam after five years of scrutiny. What more can be bigger than that? It's over. No need for another survey. Doing an SIR will just waste time and trouble people," said Islam.

The AIUDF leader took a swipe at political narratives that claimed millions of illegal immigrants were residing in the state. He pointed out that the final draft of the NRC, published in August 2019, debunked those inflated projections.

Islam further emphasised that even the 19 lakh exclusions are not definitive. "They said there were 90 lakh outsiders, 50 lakh, 70 lakh -- but in the end, only 19 lakh names were excluded. Even among those, many have parents or siblings included in the NRC, so their names will also be corrected later," he noted, suggesting the actual number of undocumented individuals would shrink even further.

Instead of expending resources on a new SIR, the AIUDF urged the government to focus on wrapping up the pending legalities of the 2019 NRC. "Instead of starting another SIR, complete the NRC process. Give NRC cards quickly to those whose names are already there. For the 19 lakh excluded, let them file claims and objections through FT (Foreigners Tribunals) as per Supreme Court guidelines," Islam told ANI.

CM Sarma's support for SIR

The remarks come weeks after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma backed conducting an SIR in the state. Earlier in April, commenting on the West Bengal polling, CM Sarma had said, "It is clear that people are voting against Mamata Banerjee. The people are voting with anger for change." He added, "It (SIR) should be conducted in Assam too."

Electoral roll update and survey types explained

Earlier in February, Assam's Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Goyal announced that the Special Revision (SR) 2026 in the state concluded on February 10. The process, which began in November across all 35 districts, involved door-to-door verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs).

Speaking to ANI, Goyal said that approximately 6.27 lakh new voters, individuals turning 18, were identified during verification. Additionally, approximately 5.86 lakh new names have been added to the electoral roll, while 2.43 lakh names were removed from the draft roll. (ANI)

Assam's electoral roll update is being carried out through a tailored Special Revision (SR) that relies on door-to-door verification by Booth Level Officers. Voters are not required to fill out forms or submit documents. The SR is intended to update Assam's rolls before the polls without undertaking a full-scale Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

Whereas an SIR is a large-scale drive ordered by the Election Commission when routine annual Summary Revisions are considered insufficient. It involves fresh enumeration, complete ground verification, detailed scrutiny of every elector, inclusion/exclusion checks, and heavy manpower deployment. In contrast, the SR uses pre-filled registers for door-to-door cross-verification by BLOs. No fresh enumeration forms are issued during the process. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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