More than 91,000 people are currently listed as ‘D-Voters’ (Doubtful Voters) in Assam’s electoral rolls, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed the Assembly on Monday, outlining the latest status of citizenship-related cases in the state.
Replying to a question from Congress MLA Nurul Islam, Sarma said the electoral rolls presently include 91,385 D-voters. Sonitpur has the highest number at 13,719, followed by Barpeta with 8,081, while Udalguri and Nagaon each have over 7,800 such voters.
The Chief Minister explained that the practice of marking voters with a ‘D’ began in 1997, in line with directives issued by the Election Commission of India. The designation is used for individuals whose citizenship status is considered doubtful or remains under dispute.
Speaking in his capacity as the minister in charge of the Home and Political Department, Sarma said Foreigners' Tribunals have so far declared 56,728 D-voters as foreigners. Additionally, 831 individuals who challenged tribunal rulings before the Gauhati High Court were also declared foreigners.
At the same time, tribunals have recognised 65,171 D-voters as Indian citizens, while the Gauhati High Court and the Supreme Court of India subsequently upheld the citizenship of 42 and three individuals, respectively.
Responding to another query from Congress MLA Wazed Ali Choudhury, the Chief Minister said the number of D-voters stood at 1,99,596 when the category was first introduced in 1997. Since then, a total of 2,44,144 D-voter cases have been referred to Foreigners’ Tribunals, of which 2,05,659 have been disposed of, leading to 56,728 individuals being declared foreigners.
Apart from D-voter cases, the Border Police have referred 1,90,657 suspected foreigner cases to the tribunals. Of these, 1,55,490 cases have been decided, with 1,15,945 individuals declared foreigners. Sarma added that 31,789 of those declared foreigners have been deported.
The D-voter category, unique to Assam, was introduced by the Election Commission for individuals unable to establish Indian citizenship through available documentation. It remains one of the most sensitive and politically debated issues in the state, where concerns over illegal immigration from Bangladesh frequently dominate public discourse.
Individuals marked as D-voters can have the tag removed only after being declared Indian citizens by Foreigners’ Tribunals or through subsequent rulings by higher courts.
Also read: Assam CM’s 'deportation' claim triggers reaction in Assembly
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