Preliminary Report on SIR Meghalaya : State-wide analysis of all 60 Assembly Constituencies

The Preliminary Report on SIR Meghalaya, prepared by the Sabar Institute, presents a comprehensive analysis of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across all 60 Assembly Constituencies of Meghalaya. Based on data available as of 26 August 2026, the report analyses 180,402 ASDD electors, providing a detailed picture of the scale, distribution, and characteristics of electoral-roll deletions across the state.

The report examines deletions through multiple dimensions, including gender, age group, recorded reason for exclusion, constituency, district, region, surname patterns, seat category, demographic composition, and previous electoral winning margins. Statewide, 58.6% of the affected electors are male and 41.4% are female, giving a male-to-female ratio of 1.42:1. The largest recorded reason for exclusion is death (45.2%), followed by untraceable/absent (27.5%), permanently shifted (23.6%), and already enrolled (3.7%).

Beyond presenting statewide totals, the report identifies substantial geographical variation. It compares deletion levels and rates across constituencies and districts, highlights constituencies with particularly high deletion counts, examines female representation among deleted electors, and identifies areas where particular exclusion reasons are especially prominent. It also compares SIR deletions with the 2023 Assembly election winning margins, finding that deletions exceed the previous winning margin in 32 of Meghalaya's 60 Assembly constituencies.

The analysis further considers the distinction between Scheduled Tribe-reserved and unreserved constituencies. While 55 of Meghalaya's 60 seats are ST-reserved, the report finds an overall deletion rate of 7.72% in reserved seats compared with 16.41% in the five unreserved seats. It notes, however, that the elevated unreserved-seat figure is largely associated with three Shillong city constituencies rather than being a uniform pattern across unreserved constituencies.

At the district level, the report records an overall Meghalaya deletion rate of 8.32%, with considerable variation between districts. East Khasi Hills records the highest district deletion rate at 12.45%, while Eastern West Khasi Hills records the lowest at 2.86%. East Khasi Hills alone accounts for 69,986 deletions, or 38.8% of the statewide total.

The report also places these patterns alongside Census-based demographic indicators, including Scheduled Tribe, non-ST and Bengali-speaking population shares. Its district-level analysis cautions against drawing conclusions about individual electors or discrimination from aggregate correlations alone. The report's broader purpose is therefore not simply to count deletions, but to identify patterns of disproportionate impact that may warrant closer investigation, safeguards, or corrective measures. As the authors explicitly note, disparity by itself does not establish discrimination or administrative misconduct.