Meghalaya’s voter base grows by nearly 10 lakh in two decades: CEO Dr BDR Tiwari

Meghalaya has witnessed a significant rise in the number of registered voters over the past two decades, with the total electorate growing from 13,35,816 in 2005 to 23,06,384 as of September 2025, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Dr BDR Tiwari said on Tuesday, October 7.

The data was shared ahead of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to be conducted nationwide. The 2005 electoral roll in Meghalaya had been published on April 15 that year, with January 1, 2005, as the qualifying date.

Dr Tiwari said the number of male voters rose from 6,64,306 to 11,37,316, while female voters increased from 6,71,510 to 11,69,062. Six electors have registered under the third gender category in the latest roll.

He said Meghalaya has already begun preparatory work for the SIR, which follows a one-day conference of Chief Electoral Officers convened by the ECI last month to review the process across states. All states were directed to conduct preliminary mapping of current electoral rolls against the 2005 intensive revision list.

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The CEO added that the 2005 electoral roll and a search facility for individual electors are available on the official website of CEO Meghalaya. During the SIR, voters will be required to furnish documents such as identity proof, birth or educational certificates, and residence or caste certificates. The Aadhaar card, he clarified, can be used as a supporting document for identity verification but not as proof of citizenship, in accordance with a Supreme Court order.

To improve accessibility and ensure smooth polling, the Election Commission has rationalised polling stations with more than 1,200 electors. A total of 49 new polling stations have been approved, while 12 have been merged, bringing the total number in Meghalaya to 3,615 — a net increase of 64.

Among districts, East Khasi Hills has the highest number of polling stations at 1,030, followed by West Garo Hills with 570 and Ri-Bhoi with 338, Dr Tiwari informed.