Meghalaya sees sharp rise in number of voters in 20 years: Official

Shillong, Oct 7 (PTI) Meghalaya has recorded a sharp rise in the number of voters over the past two decades, an official said on Tuesday.

A comparative analysis shows that the total number of electors in the state has grown from 13,35,816 in 2005 to 23,06,384 in September 2025, Chief Electoral Officer Dr BDR Tiwari said.

His statement came ahead of the Election Commission of India's (ECI) upcoming Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across the country. In Meghalaya, the 2005 electoral roll was published on April 15 of that year with January 1, 2005, as the qualifying date.

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, with six were registered under the third gender category, he said.

According to Tiwari, the ECI is in the process of announcing the SIR nationwide, and Meghalaya has already begun preparatory work.

He said that the ECI organised a one-day conference of Chief Electoral Officers last month to review preparations for the upcoming revision.

All states were asked to conduct a preliminary mapping of the current electoral roll against the Intensive Revision of 2005.

Tiwari said the 2005 Electoral Roll and a search facility for individual electors are available on the CEO Meghalaya website.

He also outlined the documents required during the SIR, including identity cards, birth and educational certificates, residence and caste certificates, among others.

Following a Supreme Court order, the Aadhaar card will also be accepted as a supporting document as proof of identity but not citizenship.

The CEO said that polling stations with more than 1,200 electors have been rationalised for smoother voting.

The ECI has approved 49 new polling stations and merged 12 others, bringing the total number of polling stations in Meghalaya to 3,615, marking a net increase of 64.

A district-wise report shows that East Khasi Hills has the highest number with 1,030 polling stations, followed by West Garo Hills (570) and Ri-Bhoi (338). PTI JOP NN