Now 'dogs and cats' will not appear in the voter list! BLO got a unique task in Assam, became 'Dog Babu' voter in Bihar

When the claim of pictures of ‘dog and cat’ being included in the voter list in Bihar went viral on social media, the Election Commission (EC) immediately came into action mode. Even though this matter was from Bihar, its echo reached Assam. Now in Assam, the booth-level officer i.e. BLO has been given a special responsibility to check every entry in the voter list which has errors like ‘non-human’, ‘black and white’, ‘wrong size photo’, or ‘no image’ at all. This step is also important because the work of preparing the voter list of 2026 has started and the Election Commission wants to completely correct the records before any controversy arises.

The Election Commission has sent instructions to the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam and has clearly said that a software-based report should be prepared which has the details of all those entries where the photo is black and white. The photo does not conform to the prescribed standards. The photo is not of any person or does not exist at all. To correct these entries, do BLO field verification. Fill Form-8 with correct photograph. A complete record of every change should be kept so that no questions arise in future. The Election Commission even said that if necessary, the BLO can also take the photograph of the voter himself, so that no entry remains wrong.

Simultaneous action on duplicates, wrong addresses and ‘multiple entries’

The EC has also clarified that all ‘logical errors’, address errors and photo quality should be rectified before the draft publication (i.e. pre-final list). Meaning this time the Commission does not want to take any risk. Some people raised the question whether giving ‘notional house number’ in the voter list will affect the legal status of the property? This is just a technical method so that voters from the same family do not remain scattered in the lines while staying in the same polling station. BLO has also been asked to mention any nearby landmark along with the notation number, so that it is easier to identify the house.

Bihar dispute and its impact

This whole issue arose when it was claimed on social media that during the special intensive revision of Bihar, some people got pictures of dogs and cats included in the voter list to show the flaws in the system. Although the ECI did not officially confirm this, the controversy became so serious that the Commission made the data-check process more stringent across the country. Assam is the first big example of this.

Special revision is going on in Assam

Special revision of voter list is going on in Assam since November 17. According to ECI, January 1, 2026 will be considered as the qualifying date. The final voter list will be published on 10 February 2026. Till then this will be the focus of the commission. Every photo should be correct, the identity of every voter should be clear, and any kind of fake entry should be completely removed.

Why is this step important?

Allegations like finding pictures of animals in the voter list are not only shameful but also directly question the credibility of the electoral process. This campaign in Assam indicates that the Election Commission is now adopting a policy of data-clarity, photo-quality and zero tolerance on fake entries in every state.