Shillong, Mar 16: The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (CoMSO) has urged the centre and the Election Commission of India to immediately conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Meghalaya to ensure that only genuine Indian citizens are eligible to participate in elections in the State.
In a representation to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the ECI, CoMSO advocated for the protection of the rights, identity, land, and constitutional safeguards of the indigenous people.
The organisation said Meghalaya, as a sensitive border state adjacent to Bangladesh, faces persistent concerns regarding illegal immigration and there is growing apprehension among the citizens about the integrity of the electoral rolls.
CoMSO said there is a possible inclusion of non-citizens and other ineligible persons in the electoral rolls, which poses a grave threat to the sanctity of the electoral process and to the political, constitutional, and demographic rights of the indigenous tribal people of Meghalaya.
CoMSO has called upon the authorities to undertake a strict, transparent, lawful, and time-bound verification of the electoral rolls across Meghalaya, with particular focus on border districts, infiltration-prone areas, and migration-affected constituencies.
According to CoMSO the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls will ensure transparency and accountability and to safeguard the rights of genuine Indian citizens and to maintain public confidence in the democratic framework intact.
It stressed that while illegal immigrants, non-citizens, doubtful voters, and other ineligible persons be identified and removed from the rolls in accordance with law, SIR should ensure that genuine Indian citizens are not harassed, wrongfully excluded, or disenfranchised during the process.
CoMSO maintained that the demand for SIR is not merely an administrative necessity but a democratic imperative to protect the integrity of elections and safeguard the future of the indigenous people of the State.
