Nagaland

Noklak and Tuensang district administrations have brought in new steps to make voting easier during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Booth Level Officers will visit homes of people who got notices about being unmapped or having logical discrepancies. They will collect the required documents and upload them on ECINet for the Electoral Registration Officer to review.

Most electors will not need to show up in person for a hearing. Hearings will happen only in rare cases, as decided by the ERO, and they will preferably be held online. An adult family member can also be authorised to attend the hearing for the elector.

Help desks and camps during SIR

Help desks and special camps will be set up during the SIR period. In Tuensang, a District Help Desk has been opened at the District Election Office for people who need assistance. Forms to note: the administration also clarified that the Declaration Form attached to Form 6 will be used only during the SIR phase. Outside of SIR, forms under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, will apply.

District Congress Committees in Dimapur, Mokokchung, Wokha, Peren, Longleng, Noklak and Tuensang held protest rallies on Monday. They are demanding the resignation and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The rallies are part of a nationwide programme by Indian National Congress. The party wants more accountability in how Election Commission of India works. It has raised serious concerns about decisions on electoral rolls and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

What Congress is asking for

NPCC says Congress wants an independent review of every change made to electoral rolls during Kumar's time in office. Their worry is simple. Decisions like these could shake people's trust in the whole voting process.

The right to vote sits at the core of Indian democracy. The party says electoral processes must stay clear and fair. No one holding a constitutional office should be above scrutiny or the law.

Similar protests were held across parts of India on September 25. Congress workers called for the CEC's resignation, removal and arrest. The seven Nagaland DCCs made it clear they will keep pushing to protect democratic institutions and safeguard citizens' voting rights.

Nagaland released its draft electoral roll, which shows a drop in the number of voters. About 1.5 lakh names were taken off during the special revision process. The draft roll now has 11.9 lakh voters, down from 13.5 lakh.

Voter list updates

Officials removed 1.2 lakh names of people who moved away or are absent. They also cleared 29,940 names of deceased individuals and 5,000 duplicate entries. If your name is missing, you can file claims or objections from September 20 to October 20. Authorities will look at these appeals by November 18, before the final list is published on November 22.

This work is part of a third phase of voter list updates covering 19 states and Union Territories. Although the Supreme Court approved this process, many people are worried that some genuine voters might be left off the list.

Nagaland has published its draft electoral roll after finishing the Special Intensive Revision. The updated list has 11.99 lakh voters. Officials removed 1.59 lakh names from the previous total of 13.57 lakh.

Revision Details

The review found 29,944 deceased individuals, 1.23 lakh people who were absent or had moved, and 5,059 duplicate registrations. If a name is missing or there are concerns, claims and objections can be submitted until October 20. The final electoral roll will be published on November 22.

Nagaland Legislative Assembly unanimously approved the revised Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) Bill 2026. This decision will help improve development in the eastern districts of the state.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio shared the update in Kohima. The authority will cover six districts: Tuensang, Mon, Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak, and Shamator. Officials expect this to fix development gaps through local governance.

Authority details and funding

The new authority will be a 62-member body with legislative and financial powers. One-third of the seats are reserved for women. The state government asked the Centre to increase the special development package to 10,000 crore rupees to help with this. Article 371(A) of the Constitution stays the same under this new plan.

Nagaland Legislative Assembly has introduced revised Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) Bill, 2026. This legislation sets up a 62-member regional authority to manage 46 specific subjects across six districts in eastern Nagaland.

Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton presented the bill on Tuesday after withdrawing the previous version. The proposed authority covers Tuensang, Mon, Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak, and Shamator. It provides local self-governance while staying within the state's existing rules.

Bill highlights

The proposal includes several important points:

• A 62-member body with 40 elected representatives, including reserved seats for women.
• An Executive Council led by a Chief Executive Member.
• Control over 46 administrative subjects, such as school education, health, rural development, and tourism.
• A dedicated financial sub-head in the state budget to make sure funds are released on time.

The Assembly plans to review and pass the bill on September 3. Members can submit any required questions or changes by 2 pm on Wednesday.

Nagaland Baptist Church Council has shared an important appeal about the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Dr. Villo Naleo points out that while accurate rolls are very important, the process must not lead to eligible voters being left out.

Nagaland faces specific problems because of its traditional land systems and village communities. Strict rules for documents might hurt indigenous residents in areas like Dimapurii, Dimapur-i, and Kohima Town. The council warns that officials should not rush the house-to-house check at the cost of accuracy.

Points for voters and officials

• Administrative teams must work to stop voter exclusion.
• Booth Level Officers and village leaders have a duty to be honest.
• Families should remove names of deceased people to keep the list updated.
• Every citizen should stay alert to protect their right to vote.

A healthy democracy depends on participation and fairness, not just following technical rules. The council hopes this revision stays inclusive and clear for everyone.

Election Commission of India secretary Binod Kumar told officials in Nagaland to speed up the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. During recent review meetings in Dimapur and Chumoukedima, he pointed out the need for correct data and better mapping at the local level.

Election preparations

Officials, including Booth Level Officers, must work together to make sure all eligible voters are included. Kumar said this work is very important for the fairness of the voting process. He also visited polling stations in the 3-Dimapur-III Assembly constituency to check the progress himself. Local teams must solve any problems quickly to finish on time.

Election Commission of India Secretary Binod Kumar recently visited Nagaland to check on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls for 2026. He held meetings in Dimapur and Chümoukedima. He asked for accurate data mapping and for field tasks to be finished on time.

Ensuring accurate voter lists

The official asked Booth Level Officers to keep high standards during verification. Good coordination between electoral officers is very important to make sure every eligible voter is included. He visited polling stations to see how the revision is going. Staff were told to fix any problems quickly so the electoral rolls stay accurate.

Niuland district administration held an awareness session about the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll for 2026. Officials met at the DC Conference Hall to talk about keeping voter lists accurate. This is very important for our democracy.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Athsangla reminded everyone that although Niuland is now a district, election work happens under the jurisdiction of Chumoukedima. This follows rules from the Election Commission of India. Make sure every eligible person is registered and remove duplicate entries. Residents of Ghaspani-i and Ghaspani-ii should check their details.

Registration guidelines

Officials said that no eligible voter should be turned away because of document issues. A passport is required, but other documents are only needed if election officers ask for them. Leaders must cooperate to keep the electoral roll clean.

Election Commission of India Secretary Binod Kumar visited Kohima on August 20. The visit was to review the Special Intensive Revision of the Photo Electoral Roll 2026. He met with state election officials at the Deputy Commissioner office to check on the progress of this work.

Reviewing voter list updates

The message to officials was clear. They must treat this work with seriousness because it affects the democratic process. The Secretary noted that areas with low mapping need immediate attention. He asked officers to make sure all forms are sent out and collected before the deadline.

Field visits are now required for EROs and AEROs. They must work directly with Booth Level Officers to solve problems on the ground. Close monitoring is the best way to get this right for voters.

Office of Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer in Kohima hosted a meeting about the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists. This plan helps make sure eligible people are registered and others are removed from the list.

Electoral awareness and updates

Assistant Election Officer Chisho Swu spoke to nodal officers and campus ambassadors about voter literacy. He noted that the last major list update in Nagaland was in 2004. Students and schools are helping the election department reach more people to improve registration records.

Booth-level officers will soon visit homes to hand out and collect registration forms. People can also handle their registration through the official Election Commission of India website. Visit that site for more details.