BLOs to collect documents from voters’ homes: ACEO
Shillong, Sept 29: Meghalaya Additional Chief Electoral Officer B. Mawlong on Tuesday said that 90.65 percent of hearings under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 have been completed and directed officials to ensure timely disposal of the remaining cases.
Tiwari, who held a virtual review meeting with Deputy Commissioners, District Election Officers, EROs, AEROs and other election officials besides a separate meeting with recognized political parties, said out of 21,69,243 electors in the Draft Electoral Roll, notices were generated for 6,51,735 electors, of which 6,51,066 have been delivered and only 619 are pending delivery.
He informed that 5,90,784 hearings have been completed so far, 910 electors have been found ineligible for the Final Electoral Roll after due process, while 19,07,182 electors from the Draft Roll have been parked for final publication.
Citing the latest directions of the Election Commission of India issued on September 26, Tiwari said that in cases where notices have been issued on account of No Mapping or logical discrepancies, the concerned BLOs will now visit the homes of such electors, collect the required documents and upload them on ECINET for consideration by the ERO, and such electors ordinarily need not visit the ERO or AERO office for a hearing.
He said that only in exceptional circumstances as decided by the ERO will a hearing be required, which should preferably be conducted online, and an elector may also authorise any adult family member to attend the hearing on his or her behalf.
The ACEO said directions have been issued to strengthen facilities for online hearings and to facilitate senior citizens, persons with disabilities and those facing difficulty in travelling to offices, while DEOs have also been asked to establish help desks and organise special camps for persons living in night shelters, labourers, economically disadvantaged, homeless and other vulnerable sections so that they are not left out of the electoral process.
Tiwari further said that 23,259 applications have been received and digitised during the revision process, including 12,624 Form 6, 1,616 Form 7, 1,590 Form 8 for shifting and 7,429 Form 8 for correction, and directed officials to ensure proper scrutiny and timely disposal.
He clarified that out of the 6,51,735 notices, 2,22,786 relate to No Mapping and 4,28,949 relate to mapping discrepancies, and that No Mapping, a mapping discrepancy or receipt of a notice does not by itself result in deletion of a name.
On the participation of political parties, he said a total of 1,814 Booth Level Agents have been appointed, with 736 from NPP, 393 from BJP, 320 from VPP, 186 from INC, 121 from UDP and 58 from AITC.
Reiterating that eligible persons whose names are left out during SIR and young and first-time voters can apply for inclusion under continuous updation, Tiwari urged every elector to check and confirm his or her name in the Final Electoral Roll after publication, stating that possession of an EPIC alone does not entitle a person to vote if the name is not included in the roll, and reaffirmed the commitment to ensure that no eligible elector is left behind.
