More than 90 per cent of hearings under Meghalaya’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls have been completed, with 910 electors found ineligible for inclusion in the Final Electoral Roll, the Election Department said.
Of the 6,51,735 notices issued during the exercise, 5,90,784 hearings had been completed, accounting for 90.65 per cent. Another 19,07,182 electors from the Draft Electoral Roll have been retained for the Final Publication. The figures were reviewed at a meeting chaired by Chief Electoral Officer B D R Tiwari with district election officials on September 29. A separate meeting was held with representatives of recognised national and state political parties.
The department said 6,51,066 notices had been delivered, while 619 were pending. Of the notices issued, 2,22,786 related to ‘No Mapping’ cases and 4,28,949 involved mapping discrepancies.
The Election Department clarified that receiving a notice or being categorised under ‘No Mapping’ or a mapping discrepancy does not automatically result in deletion from the electoral roll. Each case must undergo the prescribed scrutiny and hearing process before a decision is taken.
Under the latest directions of the Election Commission of India, Booth Level Officers will visit electors who received notices due to ‘No Mapping’ or logical discrepancies and collect the required documents. The documents will be uploaded on ECINET for consideration by the concerned Electoral Registration Officer.
Such electors will ordinarily not need to visit ERO or AERO offices. Hearings will be required only in exceptional cases, with online hearings preferred. Electors may also authorise an adult family member to appear on their behalf.
Election authorities have been asked to strengthen online hearing facilities and assist senior citizens, persons with disabilities and others who may face difficulties travelling to election offices. Help desks and camps will also be arranged where necessary for vulnerable groups, including homeless people, labourers, economically disadvantaged persons and those staying in night shelters.
The revision exercise has so far resulted in 23,259 applications being received and digitised across Meghalaya. These include 12,624 Form 6 applications for inclusion, 1,616 Form 7 applications, 1,590 Form 8 applications for shifting and 7,429 Form 8 applications for corrections.
Political parties have appointed 1,814 Booth Level Agents for the revision process. The National People’s Party appointed 736, followed by the BJP with 393, the VPP with 320, the Congress with 186, the UDP with 121 and the AITC with 58.
With the claims and objections period ending on September 18, the election machinery is now completing the remaining statutory procedures before publication of the Final Electoral Roll. The final roll is scheduled to be published on October 21.
The Election Department has reiterated that eligible voters whose names are left out during or after the SIR, including young and first-time voters, can seek inclusion through continuous updating of the electoral roll.
