Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat has said that those left out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam can vote if their names are on the electoral rolls and if they meet all other conditions.
“Those left out of the Assam citizen’s list can vote if their names are in the voter’s list and they fulfill all conditions. The Election Commission will publish a voter list in January and will not wait for the final NRC,” Rawat has told NDTV. However, he added that it was “premature” to think about whether the 40 lakh people can vote as many of them may be below 18.
Rawat said those left out of the NRC’s final draft “need not worry” for now. About 40 lakh people have been left out of this final draft. This has led to a major political controversy and war of words between political parties in the country. The Centre though has allayed fears and said those not in the list will still get a chance to prove their citizenship.
