Assam

Guwahati: Ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered a Special Revision (SR) of Assam’s electoral rolls. The Commission clarified that this exercise must not be confused with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which is conducted in exceptional circumstances requiring voters to furnish documents for eligibility verification. In Assam’s case, the EC has avoided SIR due to the state's unique citizenship framework and the ongoing Supreme Court-monitored National Register of Citizens (NRC) proceedings. What Makes SR Different from SIR? The Special Revision ordered in Assam will require mandatory house-to-house (H2H) verification, but unlike SIR, no voter will be asked to produce documents to prove eligibility. The final electoral roll...

Guwahati/Bihar: A seemingly innocuous tweet by Assam Health Minister Ashok Singhal about cauliflower farming in Bihar has ignited a political storm, particularly in Assam. While Bihar leaders remained largely silent, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi and TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale criticized the tweet, linking it to the infamous Bhagalpur riots of 1989. The controversy stems from a grim historical connection: during the Bhagalpur riots, hundreds of Muslims were killed, and, according to reports, some of the mass graves were later covered with cauliflower crops. On 24 October 1989, tensions escalated in Bhagalpur when a procession marking the Ram Janmabhoomi movement clashed with local Muslim residents. The violence spread rapidly, leaving around 900–1,000 people dead and affecting nearly...