Shillong, October 6: Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer Dr. B.D.R. Tiwari on Tuesday said 94.14 per cent of cases flagged for verification under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had undergone hearings.
The final electoral roll will now be published on October 26, instead of the earlier scheduled date of October 21. However, the deadline for disposal of claims and objections remains October 17.
Addressing reporters, Tiwari said 6,51,735 notices had been generated during the revision exercise. Of these, 6,51,391 notices had been served, while 344 remained pending.
Hearings had been completed in 6,13,512 cases, while 1,510 electors had so far been found ineligible for inclusion following verification and the prescribed hearing process.
Tiwari said 19,96,297 electors had been marked for inclusion in the final roll.
Of the total notices generated, 2,22,786 related to electors whose details could not be mapped against records of the previous intensive revision, while 4,28,949 concerned discrepancies identified during the mapping exercise.
He said the remaining verification work was being carried out in accordance with the Election Commission of India’s instructions, with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) collecting outstanding documents from electors.
Under the latest facilitation measures, electors facing logical discrepancies would ordinarily not be required to visit the Electoral Registration Officer’s (ERO) office or a hearing venue. BLOs would visit their homes, collect the required documents and upload them for scrutiny and a decision by the ERO.
Where a hearing is necessary, arrangements could also be made for it to be conducted online. Electors may further authorise an adult family member to appear on their behalf where required, Tiwari said.
District Election Officers have been instructed to establish adequate help desks and special camps to assist homeless persons, people living in night shelters, persons with disabilities, economically disadvantaged residents and others requiring support.
Tiwari appealed to citizens to cooperate with election officials and submit the required documents, stressing that the exercise was aimed at ensuring that every eligible elector is included in the electoral roll.
On applications received during the revision, he said election authorities had registered 12,624 Form 6 applications, 16 Form 7 applications, 1,590 Form 8 applications for shifting and 7,429 Form 8 applications for corrections.
Officials have been directed to ensure their timely scrutiny and disposal as per the prescribed procedure.
Recognised political parties have appointed 1,814 Booth Level Agents, including 736 from the NPP, 186 from Congress, 121 from the UDP, 320 from the VPP, 393 from the BJP and 58 from the AITC.
Tiwari urged political parties to cooperate through their Booth Level Agents and help disseminate accurate information about the SIR process and assistance available to electors.
Responding to concerns over possible exclusions, he said eligible citizens whose names are missing from the final roll can apply through Form 6 after its publication. Electors dissatisfied with an ERO’s decision can also seek redress through the prescribed appeal mechanism, details of which will be provided by election authorities.
