Assam Election Official's Emotional Tribute to Zubeen Garg: Refusing to Mark Beloved Singer as 'Dead Voter'

The incident was subsequently shared by Zubeen's family across social media platforms.

Guwahati:

Admiration for Assam's beloved icon Zubeen Garg continues to be expressed through numerous gestures by his devotees, even following his passing. An election official involved in the current Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls declined to identify Zubeen Garg as a 'dead voter'.

As per Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines, during special revision processes, the Booth Level Officer (BLO) must conduct door-to-door verification of voter lists. When a voter has deceased, officials are required to remove them from the list through a family-submitted application using form 7, according to poll body sources. EC sources informed NDTV that officers cannot independently delete names unless family members or other voters from the same polling station provide information about a deceased voter using the designated form.

Mohammad Tafiz Uddin, the Booth Level Officer for the constituency where Garg's family voted, was performing door-to-door verification of electoral rolls as part of Assam's Special Revision process.

On Zubeen Garg's voter list photograph, the officer inscribed, "May you remain immortal forever," and "May the soul attain eternal peace."

The family of Zubeen later shared this touching incident on social media.

Dr. Palmee Borthakur expressed appreciation for the BLO on social media, writing, "This love is our courage. I am grateful to Tafizuddin Dada, Zubeen's younger [brother/friend]."

When speaking with reporters in Guwahati, the officer explained his emotional decision: "For all of us in Assam, Zubeen Garg was our soul, he was our voice, and we cannot accept that he is no more. When I had to check the voters' list, I could not stop my emotions."

The Election Commission of India had mandated a Special Revision of Assam's electoral roll before next year's assembly elections, using January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date. This process includes mandatory house-to-house verification but differs from Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as it does not require documentation from voters to establish voting eligibility.