More than 1.59 lakh people have been declared as ‘foreigners’ in Assam so far, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.

He said that another 96,000 have been marked as ‘Doubtful’ (D) voters.

Sarma, who also holds the home portfolio, said 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals (FTs), which deal with the citizenship issue of D-voters in the state, are currently functional in the state. He was responding to a question by Opposition AIUDF legislator Aminul Islam in the Assembly.

The chief minister said that 1,59,353 people have been declared as foreigners by these tribunals till December 31, 2023.

The FTs have disposed of 3,37,186 cases till the end of last year and 96,149 cases are pending before various FTs, he added.

In reply to another question from Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed, Sarma said as per data, there are 96,987 D-voters in the state as of date. He said a total of 41,275 D-voters are yet to receive FT notice as it is served after following due procedure and it takes time to observe all formalities.

Sarma on Monday called on governor Gulab Chand Kataria to discuss issues concerning the development of the state. The meeting held at the Raj Bhavan was a routine one with discussions on issues to expedite development of the state, an official release said.

Sarma apprised the governor of different government initiatives to bring about the infrastructural and economic development of the state, it said.

PTI