‘Won’t Stay Silent’: Sushmita Dev Warns Against Alleged Harassment of Genuine Voters on National Voters Day

On National Voters Day, Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev met the District Election Officer on Sunday and raised fresh complaints about alleged bulk applications seeking the deletion of genuine voters’ names, demanding strict verification and warning of legal action against those found filing false objections.

After the meeting, Dev addressed the media and said her team had received reports of individuals submitting 20 to 50 applications at a time to remove names from the electoral roll. She alleged that many of those targeted are regular voters who had cast their votes in the recent Lok Sabha and Panchayat elections.

“People who are permanent residents and natural Indian citizens shouldn’t be harassed through such notices. This should not happen. We want strict verification,” Dev said. The Trinamool Congress leader asserted that her party would not remain silent if genuine voters were troubled. She urged the administration to ensure that no eligible citizen is removed from the voter list without proper enquiry.

Dev also used the occasion to thank Booth Level Officers across Cachar, Sribhumi, Hailakandi and the rest of Assam for their work. “On National Voters Day, I express my gratitude to all BLOs for their day and night efforts. Do your work diligently, do not be afraid of any party, and follow the Constitution. We are with you,” she said.

According to Dev, the District Election Officer assured her that each complaint would be properly verified and that no genuine voter would be harassed. She added that if any objections are found to be false or malicious, police cases would be filed and the matter could be taken to court. Calling it a “warning”, Dev said strict action would be pursued against those attempting to misuse the process.

This development comes a day after the MP visited the Superintendent of Police’s office and submitted an application to register an FIR over similar allegations in Masughat under the Borkhola Assembly constituency.

In that case, residents alleged that more than 20 voters were targeted through Form 7 objections, claiming they were absent or had shifted, despite living at their addresses for years. Dev had earlier written to the Election Commission of India, raising concerns that bulk objections during the Special Revision of Electoral Rolls could lead to wrongful deletion of genuine voters.

With hearings underway and the final electoral roll scheduled for publication next month, the issue has sparked concern among several residents, who fear that procedural lapses or false complaints could affect their voting rights.