Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said nearly 1.2 lakh people in the state have been identified as 'D' (Dubious or Doubtful) voters and of which 41,583 have been declared as foreigners.

In a written reply to a query by Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, Sarma said a total of 1,19,570 people were marked as D-voters till date.

"Out of the disposed cases, 76,233 have been declared as Indians and 41,583 have been identified as foreigners," he added.

Sarma, who holds the Home portfolio, said 522 people who have been in detention camps for two years and 273 people who have been there for three years have been released on bail, following Supreme Court directions.

"The country concerned is carrying out nationality verification of those declared foreigners. After issuance of travel permits by their country, they will be sent back," he added.

The process of deleting or regularising a D-voter's status is carried out based on orders of the Foreigners Tribunals and subsequent judgments by higher courts.

"From 2001 to August 1 this year, a total of 1,00,076 cases were registered at the FTs," Sarma said.

The concept of 'D' voters was introduced in Assam in 1997 by the Election Commission which prepared a list by including those who allegedly could not provide evidence in favour of their Indian nationality. It does not exist anywhere in India.

The issue of D-voters is a highly contentious topic in Assam’s political and social discourse. Several elections have been influenced by the debate over illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, who are initially marked as D-voters if their names appear on the electoral rolls. If the legal system determines an individual to be a foreigner, their name is removed from the electoral rolls. Conversely, if a D-voter is confirmed as an Indian citizen by the judiciary, the 'D' prefix is removed from their name.