Agartala/Shillong, May 16 (IANS) Following the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) announcement, seven Northeastern states have begun preparations for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, officials said on Saturday.

The ECI on Thursday (May 14) announced the launch of the SIR of electoral rolls in a phased manner across 16 states and three Union Territories. The poll panel stated that the Phase-III schedule of the SIR would be a major nationwide exercise aimed at enhancing the accuracy, inclusiveness, and transparency of voter lists.

The 16 states include seven of the eight Northeastern states — Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Tripura.

Assam already completed the Special Revision (not SIR) exercise, and the ECI on February 10, 2026, published the final electoral rolls covering all 126 Assembly constituencies in the state.

In Shillong, Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Dr B.D.R. Tiwari said that the state is fully prepared for the forthcoming SIR of electoral rolls as announced by the ECI. Tiwari stated that the Election Commission has included Meghalaya in the third phase of the SIR exercise, and the qualifying date for the revision has been fixed as October 1, 2026.

He informed that preparatory activities, including training programmes and printing of enumeration forms, would be carried out from June 20 to June 29, 2026. The house-to-house survey by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would take place from June 30 to July 29, 2026, covering all polling stations across the state. Polling station-wise consolidation work would also be completed by July 29.

According to the CEO, the draft electoral roll in Meghalaya would be published on August 5, 2026, after which the period for filing claims and objections would continue till September 4, 2026. The final electoral roll would be published on October 7, 2026, following completion of the revision exercise.

Highlighting the preparedness of the state machinery, Tiwari said that all necessary arrangements and advance planning measures had already been initiated in accordance with the ECI guidelines to ensure smooth conduct of the Special Intensive Revision across Meghalaya.

He further informed that meetings and consultations had already been held with political parties in the state, during which the procedures and modalities of the Special Intensive Revision were explained in detail. Queries and concerns raised by representatives of various political parties were also addressed during the discussions.

Political parties have been requested to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from their respective parties to facilitate the smooth implementation of the exercise at the grassroots level. The CEO noted that BLAs play a crucial role in assisting Booth Level Officers during the revision process at each polling station.

Reiterating the Election Commission’s commitment to maintaining free, fair, and transparent electoral processes, the official said that the Special Intensive Revision exercise would be conducted in a transparent manner with the objective of ensuring accurate, inclusive, and error-free electoral rolls in the state.

Officials in other Northeastern states also said that they are fully prepared to conduct the SIR exercise in a transparent and participatory manner. Election authorities have appealed to all political parties to appoint Booth Level Agents for every polling booth to ensure complete participation of political parties and smooth implementation of the revision process.

The schedule for publication of the final electoral rolls varies across the Northeastern states.

According to election officials, the final electoral rolls would be published on September 6, 2026, in Mizoram, Sikkim, and Manipur; on September 22 in Arunachal Pradesh; on October 7 in Meghalaya; on November 22 in Nagaland; and on November 23, 2026, in Tripura.

–IANS

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