Guwahati (Assam) [India], July 13 (ANI): Expressing serious doubts over the neutrality of the Election Commission, the Congress party on Sunday raised several critical questions.

As per a press statement, former MP Ripun Bora and AICC Media Coordinator for Assam, Charan Singh Sapra, jointly addressed a press conference and alleged that the Election Commission has become a puppet in the hands of the BJP and the Central government.

Ripun Bora stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now using the Election Commission as a tool to maintain power, crafting a blueprint for electoral manipulation. He alleged that after Maharashtra and Bihar, the BJP is planning a similar conspiracy in Assam -- to delete names of Opposition voters, particularly Congress supporters, from the electoral rolls under the pretext of voter list revision before the 2026 Assam Assembly elections.

National spokesperson of the Indian National Congress, Charan Singh Sapra, who was also present at the press conference, said that the Election Commission has now turned into a 'His Master's Voice.' Just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not held a single press conference in the last 11 years, the Election Commission, too, is following the same approach. Ahead of the Bihar elections, without even holding a press briefing, the EC has begun massive revision work of the electoral rolls, imposing authoritarian pressure on citizens.

He stated that the Election Commission has started playing hide-and-seek with the public. Questioning the motives behind such steps, Sapra asked, 'Why did the Election Commission not hold consultations with various stakeholders before launching such a massive operation?' He further alleged that the Commission is now acting to keep Narendra Modi in power and that by ignoring public trust and constitutional norms, the EC is overstepping its mandate. 'The Commission is meant to be a neutral umpire, but it has now become a player itself -- playing for the ruling party,' he said.

Ripun Bora further claimed that, similar to Maharashtra and Bihar, the BJP is using the Election Commission in Assam to delete the names of Congress supporters from the voters' list in the name of cleansing or 'revision'. Referring to the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections in November, Bora said that in order to avoid an anticipated defeat, the BJP has conspired to drop the names of opposition supporters like Congress and RJD from the voters' list under the so-called 'intensive revision' process.

As per the EC's notification dated June 24, 2025, this intensive revision is scheduled from June 25 to July 26 across Bihar. Bora pointed out that this process could result in the exclusion of lakhs of voters, as many may not be able to submit documents in time during door-to-door enumeration.

He also criticised the list of documents made mandatory under the BJP's directives, noting that Aadhaar card, Voter ID, and Ration card -- which are the most commonly held and government-issued documents -- are not even mentioned. In response, Congress and several opposition parties have already approached the Supreme Court, and on July 10, the court directed the Election Commission to accept Aadhaar, Voter ID, and Ration card as valid documents.

Ripun Bora also cited the example of Maharashtra, where between the April-May 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the November Assembly elections, 47 lakh new voters were added within just six months. In 50 constituencies, over 50,000 voters were added per constituency. Investigations revealed that these additions were made with the organised inclusion of BJP supporters from neighbouring states to manipulate the outcome.

He expressed concern that a similar scenario may unfold in Assam. He alleged that the BJP has started issuing notices to voters suspected as 'D-voters' or foreigners, many of whom are traditional Congress supporters, thereby attempting to strip them of their voting rights. During the upcoming Summary Revision, BJP's external operatives may use Form 7 to request deletion or relocation of Congress voters' names from the list, he feared.

In light of these developments, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has already begun training Block Level Agents (BLAs) to vigilantly counter such conspiracies. The party also urged the Election Commission not to support the BJP's undemocratic attempts to manipulate the electoral process in Assam. (ANI)