Nagaland Election Commission Reopens Rolls for 157,000 Excluded Voters

Kohima: The Election Commission of India is giving 157,752 people in Nagaland a second shot at getting on the voting list. These individuals vanished from the rolls during a recent revision. Before this shake-up, the state counted 1,357,208 electors. The draft list published September 20 dropped that number to 1,206,457. Officials blamed the gap on specific bureaucratic categories. The commission tagged 123,749 people as absent or shifted, 28,944 as deceased, and 5,059 as duplicates.

A letter dated November 6 ordered chief electoral officers to fix the mess. Authorities must now push the news via social media, official websites, and newspapers. Staff will display booth-specific lists at local offices, panchayat bhawans, and polling stations. The commission demands a solid monitoring system to prevent new errors. "The ECI has asked the state election machinery, along with that of six other states, to publicise the fresh opportunity through newspapers, social media, official websites and public announcements."

Voters who moved inside Nagaland do not need Form 8. They must submit a fresh enumeration form, proof of residence, and a statement detailing their new address and constituency. These residents can also flag down their local Booth Level Officer to process the request. The state must eventually submit an action-taken report to prove they cleaned up the list without disenfranchising eligible citizens.