By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 19: The District Election Officer (DEO), East Khasi Hills, on Tuesday held a meeting with the representatives of recognised national and regional political parties to discuss the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Meghalaya and several other states will be covered under Phase-III of the SIR exercise.
During the meeting, the political parties were briefed in detail on the objectives, scope, timelines, operational modalities and stakeholder responsibilities relating to the SIR. East Khasi Hills district currently has 17 Assembly constituencies.
The detailed schedule of the Phase-III of the SIR for Meghalaya was also shared during the meeting. As per the schedule, the qualifying date for the revision will be October 1, 2026. Preparation, training and printing activities will be carried out from June 20 to June 29, while house-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will take place from June 30 to July 29.
The rationalisation of polling stations is scheduled to be completed by July 29, while the draft electoral roll will be published on August 5. After this, claims and objections can be filed from August 5 to September 4.
Disposal of claims and objections will continue till October 3 and the final electoral roll will be published on October 7.
Officials said the electoral roll of 2005, available on the websites of the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and the East Khasi Hills district administration, will serve as the “Legacy Roll” for reference during the revision process in accordance with the instructions of the Election Commission.
The meeting highlighted the role of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), who will be responsible for supervision, scrutiny, verification and implementation of the exercise in their respective Assembly constituencies.
The BLOs will undertake house-to-house visits of electors within their polling areas during the scheduled period. Political parties were requested to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) for every polling station to ensure transparency and active participation throughout the exercise.
The office of the Deputy Commissioner will write to all Dorbar Shnongs in the district to seek their cooperation in disseminating information among the electorate regarding the house visits by the BLOs and subsequent hearings to be conducted by the EROs.
During the meeting, emphasis was laid on widespread public awareness, timely verification and active cooperation from all stakeholders to ensure that the electoral rolls remain accurate, inclusive and free from discrepancies.
The political parties were given an opportunity to seek clarifications on various procedural and operational aspects of the exercise, which were addressed by the officials present.
The DEO, East Khasi Hills, appealed to all political parties, electors and stakeholders to extend full cooperation to the election machinery and actively participate in the SIR exercise to ensure its successful and time-bound completion.
Further updates and notifications relating to the exercise will be disseminated through the office of the CEO, Meghalaya; the DEO, East Khasi Hills, and the EROs concerned.
