GUWAHATI, March 18 -- Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has predicted that approximately three to five lakh individuals in the state will seek Indian citizenship under the citizenship amendment act (CAA), emphasizing that these applicants will primarily consist of those excluded from the updated national register of citizens (NRC).

Sarma highlighted that among those excluded from the NRC list in Assam were around 7 lakh Muslims and 5 lakh Hindu-Bengalis, along with others.

He explained that many Hindu-Bengalis, who had arrived at various times and resided in refugee camps in Assam were not included in the NRC despite submitting stamped papers as proof of their stay, due to the former NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela's rejecti...