SHILLONG, July 19: Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Meghalaya and demands for a free and fair list, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has assured that not a single Indian will be left out of the electoral roll.
Responding to a query from The Shillong Times during an informal discussion in New Delhi on measures to prevent Bangladeshi citizens from entering the rolls—especially given Meghalaya’s open border with Bangladesh—the CEC said, “I guarantee that not even a single Indian would be left out of the electoral roll.”
However, Kumar declined to reveal the specific measures being taken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to keep non-citizens out.
Meghalaya shares a 443-km border with Bangladesh. While a major portion is fenced, the state has long been used as a transit route by Bangladeshis into other parts of India. In a recent incident, the alleged killers of Bangladeshi student leader Sharif Osman Hadi are reported to have fled into India through the Meghalaya border.
Earlier, in 2015, senior Bangladeshi politician Salahuddin Ahmed was found wandering in Shillong’s Golf Link area after his mysterious disappearance from Bangladesh. He was arrested here and returned home after nearly nine years.
Speaking later at the first All India Media Conference 2026 in New Delhi, Kumar emphasised that elections in India are conducted strictly according to the Constitution, electoral laws and ECI instructions.
He described India’s electoral rolls—covering nearly 95 crore citizens—as a living document that evolves continuously, audited concurrently by over 12 lakh booth level officers and 15 lakh booth level agents.
