Meghalaya’s electorate has reduced by more than 180,402 voters following a statewide Special Intensive Revision (SIR), with the election department on Tuesday publishing the Draft Electoral Roll, 2026 and opening a month-long window for claims and objections before the final list is published.
The revision identified deceased, shifted, untraceable and duplicate voters, bringing the total electorate down from 2.35 million to 2.17 million in the 60 Assembly constituencies after a massive house-to-house verification drive in line with the Election Commission of India’s programme.
The statutory period for filing claims and objections will remain open from August 5. “The draft electoral roll is not the final electoral roll. Every eligible elector has the opportunity to verify their particulars and file claims or objections during the statutory period from August 5 to September 4, 2026,” the election department said in a statement.
The department said that of the total electorate, 775,665 voters (33.01%) were successfully linked to their own electoral records from the 2005 SIR database, while 1,170,792 voters (49.83%) were mapped through their parents’ or grandparents’ electoral records.
However, 2,22,786 electors (9.48%) could not be linked with the 2005 database and have been placed under the “No Mapping” category. The department clarified that these voters have not been deleted and will undergo detailed verification during the claims and objections stage after notices are issued and hearings conducted wherever necessary.
The verification drive also identified 1,80,402 electors, or 7.68 per cent of the total electorate, under the Absent, Shifted, Deceased and Duplicate (ASDD) categories.
The breakup includes 81,490 deceased voters, 45,011 untraceable or absent electors, 42,532 permanently shifted voters, 6,701 duplicate entries, and 4,668 cases where enumeration forms were refused or fell under other categories.
The draft electoral roll now comprises 10,53,039 male voters, 11,16,199 female voters and five third-gender electors, with women continuing to outnumber men in the State’s electorate.
Meanwhile, the election commission has approved the rationalisation of polling stations across Meghalaya, leading to the creation of 86 new polling stations. The total number of polling stations has consequently increased from 3,551 to 3,637, a move aimed at improving voter accessibility and convenience, the department said.
The draft electoral rolls was published at the offices of all district election officers, electoral registration officers, assistant electoral registration officers and every polling station in the state. Copies were supplied to recognised political parties, while traditional institutions including Dorbar Shnongs, Nokmas and other designated public bodies have received copies to facilitate public scrutiny.
The department said those whose names appear but remain unmapped will receive notices asking them to appear before the electoral registration officer or booth level officer with supporting documents. Electors whose names are missing from the draft roll may apply for inclusion by submitting Form 6 along with the prescribed declaration during the claims and objections period.
The Chief Electoral Officer has directed all District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers to ensure that every claim and objection is disposed of “in a fair, transparent and time-bound manner by passing reasoned speaking orders in accordance with the law.”
“The Chief Electoral Officer appealed to all electors, recognised National and State political parties, Booth Level Agents (BLAs), Traditional Institutions, Dorbar Shnongs, Nokmas, civil society organisations, media houses and all stakeholders to actively participate during the period of filing claims and objections to ensure that every eligible citizen is included and that the Electoral Roll remains clean, accurate, inclusive and error-free,” the press note said.
The Final Electoral Roll, 2026 is scheduled to be published on October 7, after disposal of all claims and objections in accordance with statutory provisions.
