Shillong: Nearly 19 lakh electorates have been enrolled for the upcoming Parliamentary polls in Meghalaya, and steps would be taken to encourage voters to come out and exercise their franchise, said chief electoral officer FR Kharkongor on Thursday.
These electorates are under two Lok Sabha constituencies – Shillong and Tura. While the Shillong Lok Sabha seat comprises of 36 Assembly segments under the Khasi-Jaintia Hills region, Tura covers 24 Assembly seats of the Garo Hills region.
For final publication of electoral rolls, a meeting was held in the Conference Room of the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, East Khasi Hills, Shillong.
Addressing the gathering, Meghalaya chief electoral officer FR Kharkongor said that 18,92,716 electorates have been enrolled in the final electoral rolls for the upcoming Parliamentary elections. The elections are likely to be held in April-May.
Kharkongor, however, said that upgrade of the electoral rolls would continue to ensure that no prospective voter is left out. He also said that female enrolment and participation is very high in Meghalaya.
He also said that taking into account the lackadaisical approach of the electorates when it comes to Parliamentary elections, innovative measures would be introduced to encourage the people to go out and vote in large numbers.
“Voter Verification & Information Programme (VVIP) 1950 would be launched on National Voters’ Day that would enable the electorates to verify and check their names, polling stations and other details through mobile phones,” he said.
