A surge of out-of-state voters arriving in Lower Assam from Bihar, UP, and Kerala has sparked a row. While many arriving at the Barpeta Road railway station claimed to be returning migrant workers, the opposition Congress has alleged a 'vote-theft' plot.
The Congress leaders have officially flagged these arrivals, particularly those using vehicles with Bihar registration plates, as a potential attempt to manipulate the mandate in high-stakes triangular contests. However, many Muslim voters arriving by rail since Tuesday said they are simply returning from their workplaces outside the state to vote in key seats like Jania, Mandia and other seats in lower Assam where Muslim voters play a decisive role.
Lower Assam is known to be vulnerable to the influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
Allegations have also surfaced regarding Hindi-speaking voters attempting to vote illegally in the Assam election.
Meanwhile, Barpeta SP Pushkin Jain said that during elections, people usually come in large numbers and they are keeping vigil.
Congress candidate from Dispur, Mira Borthakur Goswami, on Wednesday caught a voter from UP, Dilraj Singh, who allegedly approached her asking if she needed his vote. She told the media that she was shocked by the approach and alleged that it was a 'vote theft' attempt, alleging the role of the BJP.
Mira claimed that the boy told her that there was a system to vote even without being listed in the Assam voter roll.
Though the identity of the 'boy' who approached the Congress candidate is yet to be verified, Mira claimed that he was affiliated with 'Yuva Morcha'.
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Assam Pradesh Congress Committee media department chairperson Bedabrat Bora said that the Congress suspects a large number of voters have arrived in Assam, similar to alleged vote theft incidents in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh during recent elections.
He questioned whether election authorities had deployed personnel to prevent such attempts.
A voter turnout of 17.87 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of the assembly elections in Assam. A total of 722 candidates are in the fray for the elections, which is witnessing a direct contest between the ruling BJP and the opposition bloc helmed by the Congress.
