Meghalaya’s voter list grows by nearly 10 lakh in 20 yrs, women outnumber men
Female voters continue to outnumber males, while Aadhaar has been added as a valid ID for registration under the Special Intensive Revision.
A file image of vendors protesting against the eviction drive at Police Bazaar, Shillong. (AT Photo)
Shillong, Oct 8: The voters list of Meghalaya has increased by almost 10 lakh with female voters outnumbering their male counterparts, in the last two decades.
State Chief Electoral Officer BDR Tiwari today stated that the electoral roll till September this year includes 23,06,384 voters. In 2005, it was 13,35,816, which shows an increase of 9,70,568 voters this year. This increase was witnessed during an intensive revision of the voters list.
Out of this total, there are 11,37,316 male and 11,69,062 female electors. Therefore, female voters in this matrilineal State outnumber their male counterparts by 31,746.
In 2005 too, the female voters were more than the male voters. Two decades ago, the male voters numbered 6,64,306, while the female voters stood at 6,71,510. The voters list this year also has six third-gender electors.
Tiwari gave these details ahead of the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which would be conducted across the country after Bihar. He also held a meeting with representatives of political parties ahead of the SIR.
Under the SIR there are four categories of electorate -those registered under the 2005 voters list (category A); electors not registered in the 2005 voters list, but born before July 1, 1987 (category B); electors born between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004 (category C), and electors born after December 2, 2004 (category D). All these voters will have to submit relevant documents during the SIR. Tiwari said.
He further stated that Aadhaar cards would be accepted as a valid identity proof for voter registration. Eleven other documents will also be accepted as valid documents as identity proof.
The inclusion of Aadhaar as a proof of identity has been taken following an order of the Supreme Court during the recent controversy over SIR in Bihar. "Aadhaar card will be the 12th document for voter registration purposes," Tiwari said.
Meanwhile, the total polling stations in the State is now 3,615, which is an increase of 64 from 2005.