Shillong, September 22: More than 85 per cent of hearings under Meghalaya’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls have been completed, the Election Department said on Tuesday.
Chief Electoral Officer Dr B.D.R. Tiwari reviewed the progress of SIR 2026 during an online meeting with District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers, Assistant Electoral Registration Officers and other election officials.
The review covered the delivery of notices, conduct of hearings, disposal of cases, applications received after publication of the draft electoral roll and the remaining activities before its final publication.
Of the 21,69,243 electors included in the draft roll, 6,51,735 were issued notices. A total of 6,50,736 notices have been delivered, leaving 999 pending.
The department said 5,57,402 hearings, representing 85.53 per cent of the notices generated, had been completed. So far, 659 electors have been found ineligible after the prescribed process, while 17,97,168 electors from the draft roll have been reported eligible for inclusion in the final roll.
Tiwari directed election officials to expedite the remaining hearings while ensuring that every elector concerned receives a fair opportunity to establish eligibility and submit the required documents.
He clarified that receiving a notice does not automatically result in the deletion of a voter’s name and that due process must be followed in every case.
Following publication of the draft roll, the Election Department received 11,548 Form 6 applications, 1,220 Form 7 applications, 1,438 Form 8 applications for shifting and 6,742 Form 8 applications for correction. Altogether, 20,948 applications were received.
Of the notices generated, 2,22,786 relate to electors with no mapping, while 4,28,949 concern mapping discrepancies. The CEO directed officials to handle these cases carefully and provide adequate opportunity to the electors before taking any decision.
The review also found that recognised national and state political parties had appointed 1,814 Booth Level Agents across Meghalaya.
With the claims and objections period ending on September 18, the deadline for disposal of claims and objections and completion of hearings has been fixed for October 17. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on October 21.
The CEO urged electors who received notices to respond and attend their hearings within the prescribed period. Voters can check their electoral details through the Election Commission’s voters’ portal or the ECINET mobile application.
The department also reminded citizens that possessing an Elector Photo Identity Card alone does not guarantee voting eligibility unless the person’s name appears in the electoral roll for the constituency concerned.
