Guwahati, March 21: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday informed that 99,942 Doubtful voters (D-voters) are currently the state while more than 33,000 such people were declared foreigners since 2017.

While replying to a question by Congress MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal, Sarma said the number of D-voters in the state is 99,942 as on February 1.

Sonitpur and Barpeta districts top the chart with 15,835 and 15,232 D-voters, respectively.

“The number of cases pending before the Foreigners Tribunal, which determines the citizenship of these people, is 1,05,826 as on February 1, 2023. Total number of cases disposed by the FTs from January 1, 2017, to February 1, 2023, is 1,41,553,” Sarma informed the Assam Legislative Assembly.

He added that during the same period, 15,151 D-voters were declared as Indian citizens by the FTs and 33,033 as foreigners.

The concept of D-voters was introduced in Assam in 1997 by the Election Commission. D-voters are those who could not provide evidence in favour of their Indian nationality.