Shillong: As many as 6,51,644 electors in Meghalaya have been identified for further scrutiny during the Notice and Hearing phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) B.D.R. Tiwari said on Tuesday.
The figure includes 2,22,786 electors under the “No Mapping” category and another 4,28,858 electors with discrepancies in their mapping with previous SIR records, according to the Office of the CEO, Meghalaya.
The discrepancies identified through ECINET include mismatches between an elector’s name and the name recorded in previous SIR records, discrepancies in parents’ names, unusual age differences between electors and parents, age gaps between siblings linked to the same parent, more than six children linked to the same parent and unusual age differences between electors and grandparents.
Tiwari directed EROs and AEROs to carefully scrutinise such cases and ensure that notices are generated, printed and served in a timely manner. District authorities were also instructed to prepare systematic hearing schedules and regularly update monitoring sheets to track the progress of notice service and hearings.
“No entry or name appearing in the Draft Electoral Roll shall be deleted without due process,” the CEO reiterated.
He said the concerned ERO/AERO would have to issue a notice, conduct the necessary inquiry, provide the person concerned a fair and reasonable opportunity to present their case and pass a reasoned speaking order before taking any decision.
The Draft Electoral Roll for all 60 Assembly constituencies in Meghalaya was published on August 5. The period for filing Claims and Objections will continue until September 4, while the Notice and Hearing process and disposal of Claims and Objections will continue until October 3. The Final Electoral Roll is scheduled to be published on October 7.
The review meeting also took stock of booth-wise lists of Absent, Shifted, Death and Duplicate (ASDD) electors whose names have not been included in the Draft Electoral Roll. The lists have been made available on the CEO and respective District Election Officer websites to enable citizens to verify the probable reasons for non-inclusion.
Since publication of the Draft Electoral Roll, authorities have received 2,449 applications, comprising 1,121 applications in Form 6, eight in Form 7, 253 Form 8 applications for shifting and 1,067 other Form 8 applications.
Electors who were unable to submit their filled-in Enumeration Forms during the enumeration phase can seek inclusion by submitting Form 6 along with the prescribed Declaration Form during the Claims and Objections period.
The CEO also held a separate meeting with representatives of recognised national and state political parties, briefing them on the status of the Draft Electoral Roll, No Mapping cases, mapping discrepancies, the Notice and Hearing process and applications received after draft publication.
Tiwari urged political parties to continue their participation through Booth Level Agents (BLAs) and assist eligible electors in verifying their names and particulars and filing appropriate claims or objections within the prescribed period.
Political parties had appointed 1,733 BLAs across Meghalaya during the enumeration phase.
The CEO also reiterated that the SIR process would be transparent and participative, with the objective of ensuring that no eligible citizen is left out and no ineligible person is included in the Electoral Roll.
In case an elector is aggrieved by an ERO’s decision, an appeal may be filed before the District Magistrate within 15 days of the ERO’s order. A second appeal may subsequently be filed before the CEO within 30 days of the District Magistrate’s order.
Tiwari appealed to electors to check their names and particulars in the Draft Electoral Roll through the concerned ERO, AERO or BLO, as well as through the online facilities of the Election Commission of India, and to file claims or objections well before the September 4 deadline.