Shillong, Aug 18: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Meghalaya is progressing smoothly, Chief Electoral Officer BDR Tiwari said on Tuesday, even as the election machinery has identified over 6.5 lakh cases requiring notices and further verification.
Tiwari said that he has already held review meetings with district field officials as well as briefing sessions with political parties to assess the progress of the exercise.
“The SIR process is going on very smoothly,” Tiwari said.
The ongoing Claims and Objections phase, which began on August 5, will continue until September 4. Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) can dispose of claims and objections until October 3.
As part of the notice and verification process, a total of 6,51,644 cases have been identified across Meghalaya. Of these, 2,22,786 electors fall under the ‘No Mapping’ category, while 4,28,858 cases involve mapping discrepancies with the previous SIR electoral records of 2005.
The No Mapping category refers to electors whose names, or those of their parents or grandparents, could not be linked with the SIR 2005 electoral records.
The discrepancies identified through the ECINET system include mismatches in the elector’s name or parent’s name with the 2005 records, unusual age differences between electors and parents, age gaps between siblings linked to the same parent, more than six children being linked to a single parent, and unusually small age differences between electors and grandparents.
The CEO directed district election officials to examine each case individually and ensure that electors are given adequate opportunity to clarify discrepancies and submit the required supporting documents.
The generation and distribution of notices is currently underway, while hearings have also commenced before EROs and AEROs.
Tiwari stressed that no name appearing in the Draft Electoral Roll will be deleted without due process, issuance of notice and an opportunity of hearing.
Electors who receive a hearing notice have been advised not to ignore it and to appear before the concerned ERO/AERO on the date and time specified, along with the required documents.
Meanwhile, recognised political parties have appointed 1,810 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) across the State. The NPP has appointed 724 BLAs, BJP 401, VPP 320, Congress 186, UDP 121 and AITC 58.
The CEO urged political parties to further strengthen their BLA network and assist electors in checking their names and particulars, understanding notices and participating in the revision process.
To strengthen transparency, lists of claims and objections are also being published on the CEO Meghalaya website in the prescribed formats, including lists relating to inclusion, objections, corrections and shifting of electoral records.
The election machinery has also reviewed grievance redressal mechanisms available to electors. Citizens can seek assistance through the 1950 Voter Helpline or use the ECINET app to book a call with their Booth Level Officer.
The CEO has advised electors to check their names in the Draft Electoral Roll. Those whose names are found and successfully mapped with SIR 2005 records need to take no further action.
However, electors whose names are present in the draft roll but are not mapped with SIR 2005, or whose records have discrepancies, may receive a notice for hearing and have been urged to respond within the prescribed process.
Those whose names are missing from the Draft Electoral Roll can still apply for inclusion by submitting Form 6, along with the prescribed declaration and supporting documents, during the Claims and Objections period.
Tiwari also directed Electoral Roll Observers to closely monitor the SIR process in all districts, particularly the notice and hearing phase, disposal of claims and objections and compliance with prescribed procedures.
