10 dists, 8 of them Muslim-majority, biggest gainers in Assam’s shrunk rolls

Guwahati: Eight Muslim-majority districts in Assam have emerged as the biggest gainers in voter numbers in the final electoral rolls after the special revision, even as the state’s overall electorate registered a rare contraction of more than two lakh voters.

The district-wise electorate published on Wednesday shows that of Assam’s 35 districts, only 10 recorded gains. These include the eight Muslim-majority districts — Barpeta, Dhubri, Goalpara, Morigaon, Nagaon, South Salmara, Bongaigaon, and Hailakandi — alongside two non-Muslim majority exceptions: Majuli, the river island district, and Bajali, which posted modest rises of about 209 and 1,300 voters respectively.


The lone exception among Muslim-majority districts was Sribhumi (Karimganj), which recorded a steep contraction of over 31,000 voters, the sharpest decline state-wide.

The eight Muslim-dominated districts posted net gains ranging from modest increases in South Salmara to substantial growth in Barpeta, which stands out with the largest increase, adding 28,625 voters over the draft rolls published in December last year.

The rolls also reveal that state’s traditional Assamese heartlands — the upper Assam districts have shown contraction. These are districts historically seen as bastions of Assamese identity and culture.

The contraction was sharp In Sonitpur (–22,186) and Lakhimpur (–20,998) , Golaghat (–20,027) and Jorhat (–11,940) in terms of absolute numbers while Darrang (–2.68%) and Udalguri (2.76%) recorded some of the highest percentage declines state-wide. Dibrugarh, Sibsagar and Tinsukia showed marginal decreases by less than one percent.

Adding to this picture are the Kamrup metro district, which represent the capital city of Guwahati and fringe areas shed 25,932 voters (–2.41%), while Kamrup (rural) lost 25,720 (–2.03%). Combined, the two Kamrup districts alone account for over 51,000 fewer voters, making the capital region one of the hardest hit by the cleansing drive.

Even smaller semi-urban districts like Nalbari (–10,840), Biswanath (–8,575) and Baksa/Tamulpur (–6,400 to –6,700 each) saw contractions, reinforcing the pattern of decline across the Assamese heartland.

The gains in minority districts come against the backdrop of Assam’s demographic trajectory. According to the 2011 Census, Muslims constituted 34.22% of Assam’s population.

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has repeatedly warned that Assam could become a Muslim-majority state by 2041, citing statistical trends that show the Muslim population rising by nearly 30% every decade. He has claimed that Muslims already constitute around 40% of the state’s population, a projection that has sharpened political debate over the state’s demographic future.