Shillong, June 29: East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal has urged voters not to fear the upcoming house-to-house electoral roll verification exercise, stressing that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) initiated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) is aimed at ensuring an accurate and inclusive electoral roll rather than excluding eligible voters.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Baranwal said Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct door-to-door verification across all constituencies in the district from June 30 to July 29. During the exercise, BLOs will distribute self-enumeration forms to electors whose names appeared in the 2005 electoral roll, which has been adopted by the ECI as the baseline for the revision, being the last comprehensive nationwide revision.
“The message to all electors is to take this exercise seriously, but at the same time not to be afraid of it,” Baranwal said, reiterating that the objective of the exercise is “to include and not to exclude.”
He said electors are only required to fill up and submit the self-enumeration forms to the BLOs during the month-long verification drive. The process will be followed by a one-month period for filing claims and objections, after which Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will examine and dispose of the cases. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on October 7, 2026.
Baranwal clarified that no supporting documents are required at the initial stage of enumeration. Additional documents will only be sought in a limited number of cases where clarification is necessary.
He also said that although the ECI has listed 11 indicative documents, BLOs have been instructed to accept any valid document submitted by electors, including certificates issued by churches or village headmen. Final decisions, he said, would be taken by the EROs based on an overall assessment of all documents produced and not solely on the indicative list.
To facilitate the exercise, the ECI has enabled online submission of self-enumeration forms through its website. The district administration has also set up dedicated helplines at 0364-2501255 and 0364-2501228, in addition to the ECI’s national voter helpline 1950, to assist electors.
The Deputy Commissioner said the revision will also provide an opportunity for eligible citizens who have attained the age of 18 and whose names do not appear in the 2005 electoral roll to enrol as new voters by submitting Form 6 during the verification process.
East Khasi Hills has 1,021 polling stations and an equal number of BLOs deployed for the exercise. The officers will carry pre-filled forms prepared using the 2025 electoral roll to simplify the verification process.
Baranwal expressed confidence that the majority of electors would complete the exercise without requiring hearings or objections. He added that deletions from the electoral roll would largely be confined to cases involving deceased persons, duplicate entries, those who have permanently shifted, or individuals found not to be bona fide Indian citizens.
The verification process will be carried out uniformly across the district, including Shillong, Mawkynrew, Shella and Pynursla. Voters will be required to establish that they or their family members were listed in the 2005 electoral roll, irrespective of changes in surname or place of residence. Migration-related cases will be addressed separately through Form 8.
Acknowledging concerns arising from reports of electoral roll revisions in other states, Baranwal said the administration is working closely with village headmen and community leaders to dispel misconceptions and reassure the public.
“I understand that this exercise may appear intimidating, but there is no need to fear. The administration is ready to walk hand in hand with every elector,” he said.
He added that the administration would rather answer the same questions repeatedly than risk leaving out any eligible voter from the electoral roll.
