Shillong : The East Khasi Hills district administration has launched a month-long house-to-house verification of electors as part of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with Deputy Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal urging residents to cooperate and not fear the exercise.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Baranwal said the verification drive will be carried out from June 30 to July 29 across all Assembly constituencies in the district.
“We have called this press conference to brief you regarding the house-to-house visit that is going to start from tomorrow across all the constituencies of East Khasi Hills as part of this Special Intensive Revision exercise of the Election Commission of India,” he said.
During the exercise, 1,021 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit every household to distribute pre-filled self-enumeration forms to voters whose names appear in the 2025 electoral roll.
Baranwal appealed to all electors to participate actively and assured that the purpose of the exercise is to strengthen the electoral roll rather than remove genuine voters.
“The message to all electors is to take this exercise very seriously and simultaneously not be afraid of it. As stated by the Election Commission of India, the objective is to include and not to exclude. This exercise is meant for the enumeration of existing voters,” he said.
He explained that voters only need to complete and submit the self-enumeration form to the BLO during the enumeration stage. No supporting documents are required at this stage.
According to the Deputy Commissioner, after the enumeration process, there will be a one-month period for filing claims and objections, followed by another month for Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to dispose of the cases. The final electoral roll will be published on October 7, 2026.
Baranwal said the SIR aims to prepare a clean, accurate and error-free electoral roll, with the 2005 electoral roll serving as the baseline because it was the last comprehensive revision conducted by the ECI.
He clarified that in a small number of cases where additional verification is required, voters will be informed and given sufficient time to submit supporting documents.
Although the Election Commission has listed 11 indicative documents, Baranwal said the list is not exhaustive.
“We have instructed our BLOs to accept every document submitted by electors, including church certificates, headman certificates and any other relevant document. The final decision will be taken by the ERO after considering all the available evidence,” he said.
For voters unable to submit forms physically, the ECI has provided an online self-enumeration facility through its official website. Residents may also seek assistance from BLOs or contact the Election Commission’s 1950 helpline. The district administration has also issued two helpline numbers: 0364-2501255 and 0364-2501228.
New Eligible Voters to Be Included
Baranwal said the exercise also aims to ensure that all citizens who have attained the age of 18 years are enrolled as voters.
Eligible citizens whose names are not in the electoral roll can submit Form 6 for inclusion.
“The objective is to include and not to exclude. During house-to-house verification, BLOs will also identify newly eligible voters and facilitate their enrolment,” he said.
He added that the district currently has 1,021 polling stations, each served by a designated BLO.
Focus on Accurate Electoral Roll
Clarifying the scope of the exercise, Baranwal said the initial phase covers only voters already registered in the 2025 electoral roll, who will receive pre-filled self-enumeration forms.
He expressed confidence that the majority of electors would complete the process without requiring hearings or objections.
The categories of names that may eventually be removed include deceased persons, duplicate entries, voters who have permanently shifted, and individuals found not to be bona fide Indian citizens.
He further clarified that cases involving migration or change of residence will continue to be processed separately through Form 8.
Addressing concerns over possible exclusion, Baranwal assured residents that the administration is committed to helping every eligible voter remain on the electoral roll.
“We understand that people may have concerns after hearing about similar exercises elsewhere, but there is no need to fear. The administration is ready to walk hand in hand with every voter. We would rather answer the same question a hundred times than miss even one eligible elector,” he said.