Assam CM launches ‘Mission BTR', claims Congress has ‘no foothold' in Bodoland
Addressing a massive rally at Green Field in Kokrajhar, the BTR headquarters, Sarma exuded confidence in the BJP's dominance in the region, declaring, "Congress has no presence here. Congress belongs in Pakistan."
The remark drew loud cheers from the crowd, signalling the BJP's aggressive stance as the election season approaches.
Sarma highlighted the BJP-led government's success in restoring stability in BTR following the 2020 BTR peace accord.
"The last five years were about establishing peace - no encounters, no bomb blasts. The next five years will be about all-around development for every community," he asserted.
Emphasising the party's electoral ambitions, he added, "We are not here to lose. We are here to win for peace, development, and the welfare of BTR's people."
The rally, attended by state BJP chief Dilip Saikia, Minister Ashok Singhal, and several BTC leaders, underscored the party's focus on consolidating its base in BTR.
Sarma outlined a two-pronged strategy: securing victory in the BTC polls and gearing up for the 2026 Assam Assembly elections.
"After BTC, we will shift full focus to 2026. Our goal is clear - to form the government again," he said.
Later, Sarma chaired a review meeting at the Kokrajhar District Commissioner's office to assess the implementation of state welfare schemes, reinforcing the BJP's development-centric agenda.
With "Mission BTR," the BJP aims to position itself as the region's primary force for stability and progress, leaving little room for opposition parties in its political calculus.
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News18
37 minutes ago
- News18
What Is The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision In Bihar & Why Has It Created A Stir?
The Special Intensive Revision, launched on June 24, seeks to include the names of eligible citizens in the voter list while removing those who are ineligible The Election Commission's decision to initiate a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral roll in the run-up to the assembly elections later this year has triggered major political controversy. While the commission maintains that the revision is intended to enhance transparency and remove ineligible entries from the voter list, opposition parties have raised concerns, claiming that the move may lead to the exclusion of legitimate voters. This also prompted a response from the ruling BJP, which accused the Congress of attempting to protect fraudulent entries in the rolls. But what exactly is SIR, and why has it polarised parties? News18 takes a look UNDERSTANDING SIR There are four types of electoral roll revisions: intensive, summary, partly intensive and partly summary, and special. In an intensive revision, a thorough household verification is carried out. A summary revision involves updating the electoral roll based on claims and objections regarding additions or deletions, but without any door-to-door verification. In a partly intensive and partly summary revision, the existing rolls are published as a draft, while booth-level officers simultaneously conduct household verification. A special revision is implemented as an urgent corrective measure to rectify the electoral rolls. The Special Intensive Revision, launched on June 24, seeks to include the names of eligible citizens in the voter list while removing those who are ineligible. The last time such a revision was conducted in Bihar was in 2003. According to the Election Commission, several factors such as rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, the addition of young citizens reaching voting age, unreported deaths, and the presence of names of foreign illegal immigrants have made the revision essential. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar told News18 on Monday that not a single political party is satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for different reasons. 'During the past four months, all 4,123 EROs (electoral registration officer), 775 DEOs (district election officer), and 36 CEOs (chief electoral officer) have held nearly 5,000 meetings with 28,000 political party representatives. The ECI (Election Commission of India) has also invited all recognised political parties for interaction. No one was satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for one reason or the other," Kumar said. HOW WILL IT BE HELD? For the drive, the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct door-to-door surveys for verification during the process. 'The objective of an intensified revision is to ensure that the names of all eligible citizens are included in the Electoral Roll so as to enable them to exercise their franchise, and no ineligible voter is included in the electoral rolls and also to introduce complete transparency in the process of addition or deletion of electors in the electoral rolls," an official statement reads. In case of any claims and objections raised by any political party or an elector, the poll body official will inquire into the same before satisfaction is arrived at. If there are further issues, an appeal against the order can also be made to the District Magistrate and the Chief Electoral Officer. The poll body has directed that economically weaker and other vulnerable groups, including the elderly, sick, and Persons with Disabilities (PwD), should not be harassed and are facilitated to the extent possible, including through deployment of volunteers to take care of genuine electors. WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE? The Election Commission has stated that the Electoral Registration Officer will provide Enumeration Forms to the Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who will then distribute these forms to voters through home visits, offering guidance on how to complete them. Voters can also upload the forms and supporting documents online. After the forms are submitted and verified, a preliminary electoral roll will be made available on the ECI and CEO websites, and it will be shared with political parties. Both voters and political parties will have the opportunity to raise objections to the draft list. Once these objections are addressed, the final electoral roll will be published. The Election Commission is aiming to release the draft electoral roll for Bihar on August 1 and the final version by September 30, the poll body has announced. Nearly 87 per cent (6.86 crore) of Bihar's 7.90 crore voters have received enumeration forms during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR), the ECI said, noting that 1.5 crore households have already been covered in the first round of visits by booth-level officers (BLOs). According to the ECI, 1.55 lakh booth-level agents (BLAs) are supporting the drive, with the BJP, RJD, and JD(U) contributing the highest numbers. News18 had reported earlier that of the total 7.89 crore voters in the state, around 4.96 crore—those who were already registered as of January 1, 2003—only need to fill out and submit the new enumeration form. However, the remaining 2.93 crore voters, which is about 37 per cent of the total, will also need to provide documents proving their Indian citizenship along with the form. The Election Commission had made submitting at least one of 11 documents a must for verification. These include birth certificates, passports, identity cards or pension payment orders issued to government employees or pensioners, permanent residence certificates, forest right certificates, caste certificates, family register prepared by state and local authorities, and land or house allotment certificates issued by the government. Aadhaar is not part of the list. However, in the face of criticism by opposition parties, the poll body has said voters can get verified in the electoral rolls despite not submitting the mandatory documents. 'If the documents are not given, the Electoral Registrar Officer will carry out verification based on investigation at the local level," EC said. A poster put up by EC says: 'If the necessary documents and photo are not available, then just fill the enumeration form and provide it to the Booth Level Officer. If you are unable to provide the necessary documents, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) can take a decision on the basis of local investigation or evidence of other documents." WHY IS THE OPPOSITION PROTESTING? The Congress has criticised the revision process, arguing that it could lead to the deliberate exclusion of voters through the misuse of state machinery. In a statement, the Congress' empowered action group of leaders and experts (EAGLE) described the Election Commission's revision of electoral rolls as a solution more harmful than the problem itself. 'The INC opposes the devious Special Intensive Revision exercise ordered by the ECI for Bihar," the statement said, adding that the revision showed was EC's admission that all is not well with India's electoral rolls—a charge frequently levelled by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too has criticised the exercise, alleging that the Election Commission is targeting Bengal's youth under the guise of a new voter list verification process. 'This is very concerning. They have introduced a declaration form for getting your name on the voter list. For those born between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004, a new declaration form must be submitted along with the parents' birth certificates to enrol their names in the voters' list. The ECI says that parents' birth certificates must be submitted. What is going on in the name of full enumeration? This is a document and declaration form from the ECI. There are many irregularities," Banerjee said. Leader of Opposition and former Deputy CM of Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav, said: 'The EC's move is to disenfranchise the poor and marginalised sections of voters who have only Aadhaar as their valid document, which the EC says is not acceptable." The Opposition got a shot in the arm when Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which has helped usher in several electoral reforms, moved the apex court against the EC's decision. A group of leaders from 11 parties of the INDIA bloc met with senior Election Commission officials to voice their opposition to SIR, condemning it as the 'greatest assault on the fundamental structure of the Constitution". top videos View all On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear on July 10 a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission of India's move to conduct SIR in poll-bound Bihar. Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal, Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Gopal Sankaranarayanan, and Shadan Farasat jointly mentioned the matter before a partial working days bench comprising Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, seeking urgent listing. About the Author Apoorva Misra Apoorva Misra is News Editor at with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. More Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : 2025 Bihar elections BJP congress election commission electoral roll news18 specials Location : Patna, India, India First Published: July 07, 2025, 12:01 IST News explainers What Is The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision In Bihar & Why Has It Created A Stir?
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
BJP's Vrindavan corridor is ‘astha ka vyapar': Akhilesh
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NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Minister Bandi Sanjay Attacks Congress, Alleges Special Treatment To Akbaruddin Owaisi
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