Shillong, Nov 12: The opposition Congress Party in Meghalaya has urged the state election authorities to empower the traditional dorbar shnongs with a greater role in the voter registration process, saying such a step would help prevent the inclusion of ineligible voters and ensure a more transparent electoral roll in Meghalaya.
Speaking to reporters today, Manuel Badwar, secretary of the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), said the issue was raised during a recent meeting on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
“Since Meghalaya does not have a Panchayati Raj system, we suggested to the Chief Electoral Officer that more powers be vested in the dorbar shnong during voter registration,” Badwar said.
According to him, the proposal received support from other political representatives who attended the meeting, many of whom also backed the idea of formally recognising the authority of the dorbar shnong in the state’s electoral regulations.
“The CEO assured us that he would seriously consider the proposal to strengthen the role of the dorbar shnong to prevent infiltration and to ensure that only genuine voters are included in the electoral rolls,” Badwar added.
He also cited examples of voter migration across states, a trend he claimed could distort the democratic process, alleging that such practices may be influenced by money power.
“As Rahul Gandhi mentioned during his campaign, there are voters who shift from one place to another—voting in Delhi today, in Bihar after two months, and again in Karnataka later. Such a movement, possibly backed by the BJP’s money power, disrupts the sanctity of the election process,” Badwar stated.
