Meghalaya’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has entered a crucial notice and hearing phase. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Meghalaya, Dr BDR Tiwari informed that 6,51,644 electors have been identified for scrutiny and appropriate action, even as the Draft Electoral Roll published on August 5 recorded a reduction of more than 1.80 lakh electors from the pre-revision roll. The scrutiny covers 2,22,786 electors under the “No Mapping” category and 4,28,858 electors with discrepancies in their mapping with previous SIR records. The large-scale exercise assumes significance as Meghalaya moves towards finalisation of its electoral rolls, with the Election Commission undertaking a detailed verification of voter records to address discrepancies and ensure that no eligible citizen is left out while no ineligible person is included in the final roll.
Dr Tiwari held a virtual review meeting with the Deputy Commissioners/District Election Officers (DCs/DEOS), Sub-Divisional Officers (SDOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) on August 11 to review the progress of SIR 2026 following publication of the Draft Electoral Roll on August 5. He also held a separate meeting with representatives of the Recognized National and State Political Parties to brief them on the progress of SIR, the ongoing period for filing Claims & Objections, the Notice and Hearing process and other activities being undertaken to ensure transparency and participation. The Draft Electoral Roll was published by the EROs of all 60 Assembly constituencies on August 5 and contains 21,69,243 electors against 23,49,645 before the revision. Claims & Objections will remain open until September 4, the Notice Phase and disposal of Claims & Objections will continue up to October 3 and the Final Electoral Roll is scheduled for October 7. The draft roll was shared with recognised political parties, Traditional Heads, Village Dorbars/Dorbar Shnongs and Nokmas. Booth-wise lists of Absent, Shifted, Death and Duplicate (ASDD) electors whose names have not been included in the draft roll have also been hosted on the CEO and respective DEO websites.
A detailed review found 2,22,786 electors under the “No Mapping” category and 4,28,858 with mapping discrepancies.
Talking to Media persons , Chief Electoral Officer Dr BDR Tiwari said, “Across the State, 2,22,786 electors have been identified under the ‘No Mapping’ category, while 4,28,858 electors have been identified with discrepancies in their mapping with the previous SIR 2025 records. Thus, a total of 6,51,644 electors have been identified for scrutiny and appropriate action in accordance with the prescribed procedure.”
The discrepancies identified through ECINET include mismatch between the elector’s name and the name available in previous SIR 2005 records; mismatch in the parent’s name as given in 2005; age difference between elector and parent being less than 15 years or more than 50 years; age gap of less than nine months between siblings linked to the same parent; more than six children linked to the same parent; and an age difference of less than 40 years between an elector and grandparent. Dr Tiwari directed EROs/AEROs to scrutinise the cases, generate, print and serve notices in time, prepare systematic hearing schedules and update monitoring records. Electors may appear before the ERO/AERO with prescribed supporting documents. The meeting also recorded 2,449 applications after draft publication — 1,121 Form 6, eight Form 7, 253 Form 8 for shifting and 1,067 other Form 8 applications. Political parties were urged to assist electors through Booth Level Agents (BLAs); 1,733 BLAs were appointed across the State. The CEO also directed timely disposal of claims and objections.
Dr Tiwari said that names in the Draft Electoral Roll cannot be deleted without due process, while appeals can be filed before the District Magistrate within 15 days of an ERO’s order under Section 24(a) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, read with Rule 27 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, followed by a second appeal before the Chief Electoral Officer within 30 days under Section 24(b) read with Rule 27.
The Chief Electoral Officer said, “……no entry or name appearing in the Draft Electoral Roll shall be deleted without due process. The ERO/AERO shall issue notice, conduct the necessary inquiry, provide a fair and reasonable opportunity to the person concerned and pass a reasoned speaking order before taking any decision.”
He said, “The Commission reiterates its firm commitment to a transparent, participative and inclusive revision process, ensuring that no eligible citizen is left out while no ineligible person is included in the Electoral Roll.”
