SHILLONG, SEPT 29: More than 90 per cent of hearings under Meghalaya’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 have been completed, even as the Election Commission has directed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to visit the homes of certain electors to collect required documents.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Dr B.D.R. Tiwari on Tuesday reviewed the progress of SIR 2026 with Deputy Commissioners/District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers, Assistant Electoral Registration Officers and other election officials. A separate meeting was also held with representatives of recognised national and state political parties to brief them on the latest progress and recent directions of the Election Commission of India.
Out of 21,69,243 electors in the Draft Electoral Roll, 6,51,735 notices were generated. Of these, 6,51,066 notices have been delivered, while 619 remain pending. A total of 5,90,784 hearings have been completed, accounting for 90.65 per cent of the notices generated.
So far, 910 electors have been found ineligible for inclusion in the Final Electoral Roll after the prescribed process, while 19,07,182 electors from the Draft Electoral Roll have been parked for final publication. The CEO directed officials to closely monitor the remaining cases and ensure timely disposal while providing every elector a fair opportunity.
Under the latest ECI directions, BLOs will visit the homes of electors who received notices due to “No Mapping” or logical discrepancies, collect the required documents and upload them on ECINET for consideration by the ERO. Such electors will ordinarily not be required to visit the ERO or AERO office for a hearing.
Hearings will be required only in exceptional cases and should preferably be conducted online. Electors may also authorise an adult family member to attend a hearing on their behalf. The CEO asked officials to ensure that senior citizens, persons with disabilities and those facing difficulties in travelling are appropriately facilitated.
The Election Commission has also directed the setting up of help desks and special camps for people living in night shelters, labourers, economically disadvantaged persons, homeless people and other vulnerable sections.
Meanwhile, 23,259 applications have been received and digitised during the revision process, including 12,624 Form 6 applications, 1,616 Form 7 applications, 1,590 Form 8 applications for shifting and 7,429 Form 8 applications for correction.
Of the total notices generated, 2,22,786 relate to “No Mapping” cases and 4,28,949 to mapping discrepancies. The CEO clarified that receipt of a notice, “No Mapping” status or a mapping discrepancy does not automatically result in deletion of an elector’s name.
Political parties have appointed 1,814 Booth Level Agents across the state, including 736 by NPP, 393 by BJP, 320 by VPP, 186 by Congress, 121 by UDP and 58 by AITC.
The Election Commission has also reiterated that eligible persons left out during or after the SIR, as well as young and first-time voters, can still apply for inclusion in the Electoral Roll through the continuous updation process.
With the Claims and Objections period having ended on September 18, election officials have now been directed to focus on the remaining statutory processes leading to preparation and final publication of the Electoral Roll. The CEO also reminded voters that possession of an EPIC alone does not entitle a person to vote unless his or her name is included in the Electoral Roll in force.
