Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi alleges tampering with voter's list

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday, 26 June, alleged that the voter's list in the state has been tampered with by the government.

Gogoi said that a correct voter's list is the "main weapon" in a democracy.

He said that time is the "enemy" for his party, as it has to prepare to oust the current BJP-led dispensation within a short period.

"The voter's list is the main weapon in a democracy. It is very important... But there is an undeclared emergency today, where we don't have an impartial Election Commission or voter's list," Gogoi said at a media interaction in Guwahati.

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He alleged that the government has 'tampered' with the list. "Youth who had voted in a definite area or polling booth during the Lok Sabha election couldn't find their names in that same place in later assembly bypoll or panchayat polls," Gogoi said.

Upping the ante for next year's assembly election, Gogoi said the party is putting in all efforts to work towards its goals within this period of time.

"Time is our enemy. Time is very short. We have to work within this short time to achieve our objectives," he said.

"When we work in a hurry, some of it will click and there is risk of some misfiring. We have to be careful also," he added.

Gogoi said all wings of the party are being strengthened and any gaps within them being bridged.

"We are all working together and there is good coordination among us," Gogoi said, flanked by the two state Congress working presidents, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly and the head of the party's election publicity committee, as he completed a month as the state party chief.

Gogoi claimed that the Himanta Biswa Sarma government has been "rattled" by the Congress in the past month.

"Our feedback has been very positive. The way the government is attacking the press for exposing its corruption makes our party's popularity evident," he asserted.

The state Congress president said feedback from the ground level is also being mobilised.

"We are not working with a president-centric approach. That's why we appointed 88 observers to reach out to the grassroots level to strengthen the party," he said.

Gogoi said the party will take on the government on various issues, including flood problem, 'syndicate', corruption, etc.

"Caste census is also our focus, so that the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs can be helped," he said.

Gogoi added that the party will go all out in all the 126 assembly seats with the aim to "increase votes and win convincingly".

Gaurav Gogoi has a battle ahead in polarised Assam