Shillong, August 11: Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Tuesday reviewed the ongoing Claims and Objections and Notice and Hearing phases of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026, following publication of the Draft Electoral Roll on August 5.
The CEO held a virtual meeting with Deputy Commissioners/District Election Officers, Sub-Divisional Officers, Electoral Registration Officers and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers to assess the progress of the revision exercise. A separate meeting was also held with representatives of recognised national and state political parties to brief them on the SIR process and measures being taken to ensure transparency and public participation.
According to the Election Department, the Draft Electoral Roll has been published for all 60 Assembly constituencies in Meghalaya. The period for filing Claims and Objections will remain open from August 5 to September 4, while disposal of claims and objections and the Notice phase will continue up to October 3. The Final Electoral Roll is scheduled to be published on October 7, 2026.
A major focus of the review was on electors requiring further scrutiny. Across Meghalaya, 2,22,786 electors have been identified under the “No Mapping” category, while 4,28,858 electors have discrepancies in their mapping with previous SIR records. In total, 6,51,644 electors have been identified for scrutiny and appropriate action under the prescribed procedure.
The discrepancies detected through ECINET include mismatch in an elector’s or parent’s name with earlier records, unusual age differences between electors and parents or grandparents, very small age gaps between siblings linked to the same parent, and cases where more than six children are linked to one parent. EROs and AEROs have been directed to carefully scrutinise such cases and ensure that notices are issued and hearings conducted in a timely manner.
The meeting was also informed that 2,449 applications had been received since publication of the Draft Electoral Roll. These include 1,121 applications in Form 6, eight in Form 7, 253 Form 8 applications for shifting, and 1,067 other Form 8 applications.
Electors who could not submit their Enumeration Forms during the earlier phase can seek inclusion through Form 6 along with the prescribed declaration. Form 7 is used for objections to proposed inclusion or deletion of an existing entry, while Form 8 covers shifting of residence, correction of particulars and other permitted changes.
Political parties have meanwhile been urged to actively participate through their Booth Level Agents and help eligible voters verify their names and particulars. The Election Department said 1,733 Booth Level Agents had been appointed across the state during the Enumeration Phase.
The CEO also stressed that no name appearing in the Draft Electoral Roll will be deleted without due process. Before any decision is taken, the concerned ERO or AERO must issue notice, conduct the necessary inquiry and provide the elector a fair opportunity to be heard.
Anyone aggrieved by an ERO’s decision can appeal to the District Magistrate within 15 days, while a second appeal can be filed before the Chief Electoral Officer within 30 days of the District Magistrate’s order.
The Election Department has appealed to all eligible electors to check their names and particulars in the Draft Electoral Roll and submit claims or objections within the prescribed period, reiterating its objective of ensuring that no eligible citizen is left out and no ineligible person is included in the electoral roll.
