The KHNAM has urged careful handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Meghalaya’s border areas, especially Langpih, Block‑I and Block‑II, amid concerns that residents could be pressured to enroll in Assam’s electoral rolls.
Thomas Passah, the organisation’s working president, said KHNAM had voiced concerns about the SIR before it was announced in the state. He warned that the Assam government might try to force people to register in its SIR, while the Meghalaya government may not enroll them in Meghalaya’s revision. Passah stressed that residents considered part of Meghalaya should be registered in the state’s SIR.
The issue is particularly sensitive in Block‑I and Block‑II, where some residents hold dual EPICs, according to Passah. He called on the Election Department to take a proactive approach to prevent complications arising from dual registration.
Passah acknowledged that the broader question of electoral rights in the border areas cannot be reduced solely to ethnicity. Nevertheless, he insisted that for the current SIR, names of Khasi residents should appear only on Meghalaya’s roll, arguing that it would be inappropriate for a Khasi individual to vote in Assam. He urged the Chief Electoral Officer to handle the matter with care given its sensitivity.
