Meghalaya removes 2 foreign nationals from voter rolls ahead of assembly election

The State Election Commission of Meghalaya has struck off two foreign nationals of Nepalese origin from its final voter roll following scrutiny procedures ahead of the assembly elections. Both individuals, who had been enrolled as electors in the Mawsynram constituency, were found to be ineligible for voter registration despite being married to Indian citizens.

The removal reduces Meghalaya's total eligible electorate to 2.18 million voters in the final electoral roll. Election officials had identified the foreign nationals during the revision of voter lists, a standard practice undertaken before conducting elections to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.

Under Indian electoral law, foreign nationals are barred from voter registration regardless of their marital status to Indian citizens. The discovery of these ineligible voters underscores the importance of the electoral roll verification process, which aims to maintain accuracy and authenticity in the voter database.

The state election commission is now preparing voter rolls across all constituencies for the upcoming assembly elections with the corrected electorate figures.