Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: Election officials in Meghalaya have flagged 74,006 voters for verification as part of a high-stakes cleaning of the state’s electoral rolls. This group represents 2.29 percent of the total electorate of 23,49,645. The scrutiny involves the Absentee, Shifted, Deceased and Duplicate category as of July 21, 2026. Data shows 7,927 are absentee, 18,729 shifted, 44,012 deceased, and 2,892 are duplicate entries.
East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal dismissed fears that Bangladeshi nationals could hijack the process by faking Khasi surnames. He insists the Election Commission of India systems are too rigid for such fraud. "I absolutely see no possibility wherein non-Indian citizens who have adopted Khasi surnames, as apprehended by certain pressure groups, will be able to pass the SIR exercise," Baranwal asserted.
BLOs face a heavy lift. They must cover 3,551 polling stations. Progress is fast. Officers have handed out enumeration forms to 23.19 lakh voters, reaching 98.71 percent of the state. Digitization stands at 16.85 lakh forms, or 74.88 percent. West Khasi Hills leads in digitizing records at 91.11 percent.
Chief Electoral Officer Dr. BDR Tiwari urged calm. The department will not delete names without following the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Floating voters like students or workers living outside the state can use the ECINET platform to verify status. Others facing verification hearings can request date changes.
The draft electoral roll drops on August 5. After that, citizens can file claims and objections to fix errors. Political parties have jumped in, appointing 892 Booth Level Agents to monitor the process. The state wants a clean list. It does not intend to disenfranchise legitimate citizens.
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