Millennial voters to be enrolled for 2018 Meghalaya polls

The Meghalaya Election Department is targeting to register millennial voters and has sought the cooperation of political parties in the enrolment of more voters ahead of the 2018 assembly polls, an official said here on Tuesday.

"We are targeting to enrol around 2,000 millennial voters who would become eligible for voting in 2018," Chief Electoral Officer Frederick Roy Kharkongor told journalists.

There are about 74,000 millennial voters in the country, with Election Commission estimation of around 2,000 such potential voters in each state.

"In our state, each district is projected to have 200 millennium voters each and we have sought information from municipal bodies to try and connect with them so as to enrol them," he said.

Kharkongor said the millennial voters will also be feted on the National Voters' Day.

He said the Election Department had sought active involvement of political parties on voter enrolment ahead of the assembly elections.

The total voter enrolment in Meghalaya is 17.68 lakh as of September 27, which he hoped would touch 18 lakh by the time assembly elections are announced. Meghalaya's population is about 35 lakh, as per the 2011 Census.

The official said the voters' enrolment gap in the state was 1,08,318, including in East Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi, West Garo Hills, and South Garo Hills.

The gap is as per the projected population and the number of voters registered in Meghalaya.

Kharkongor said the Election Department had identified and deleted the names of dual voters -- those who have their names in electoral rolls in both Assam and Meghalaya.

In Dadenggre constituency, 24 such persons were identified and their names deleted from the electoral rolls.

He said Deputy Commissioners of districts bordering Assam were in touch with their counterparts in Assam to ensure that electoral rolls were free of dual voters.

--IANS

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