By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Jan 6: Meghalaya’s voter base has grown to 22,69,512 as of January 6, 2025, marking an increase of 52,412 voters compared to last year’s total of 22,40,499. This data was shared by the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), BDR Tiwari, during a press briefing on Monday.
According to the latest electoral rolls, the state has 11,50,599 female voters, 11,18,907 male voters, and six third-gender voters. The number of service voters stands at 3,764, out of which 3,673 are males and 91 are females. Tiwari also reported that the elector population ratio is 645, while the gender ratio among electors is 1,028.
Among the districts, East Khasi Hills has the largest voter population at 3,20,553, while South West Khasi Hills has the smallest with 38,742 voters. The rolls also reveal that there are 72,941 voters aged 18-19, 10,398 voters aged 85 and above, and 11,960 voters with disabilities.
In terms of changes to the rolls, 8,936 names were removed due to deaths, 7,775 were deleted because of voters shifting residence, and 385 entries were identified as duplicates. Altogether, 17,096 forms were accepted for deletions. Additionally, 31,372 out of 32,500 applications for corrections were approved.
The number of polling stations has also increased slightly. There are now 3,551 polling stations in the state, up from 3,512 during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
When asked about the preparation of voter lists for the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) and Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) elections, Tiwari clarified that the process is managed by the District Council Affairs (DCA) department. He added that the election department only shares the voter list with the DCA when required and with the approval of the Election Commission of India.
“The preparation of voter rolls for the district councils is handled by the DCA, which works at the field level with the same district administration staff. However, it is separate from the election department’s mandate,” the CEO explained.