Residents of Sabuda village, located in the Raid Nongtung area of Ri-Bhoi that is also claimed by Assam, have unanimously decided not to enroll in the electoral rolls of Assam.
Because the area is disputed between the two states, the villagers are eligible to cast their votes in both Meghalaya and Assam until the dispute is resolved.
However, after a letter was issued by the office of the Deputy Commissioner of West Karbi Anglong in Assam, announcing a voter and Aadhaar enrollment drive scheduled to take place in Sabuda on May 10, the villagers held a meeting to decide a joint course of action.
Sabuda is predominantly inhabited by people of the Khasi community and the residents expressed strong opposition to registering for EPIC or Aadhaar cards under Assam.
Most of the villagers have applied for and received EPICs from Meghalaya; Sabuda falls under Mawhati constituency in the Meghalaya Assembly.
To formalise their stance, the villagers also submitted a written statement to the local Booth Level Officer (BLO), clearly expressing their refusal to be enrolled under Assam’s electoral list. They urged the BLO to take the matter seriously and raise it with the Deputy Commissioner of Ri-Bhoi or even the Meghalaya government.
