Church body flags documentation, residency concerns; urges BLOs, village authorities to ensure inclusive revision
The Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) has cautioned that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Nagaland must not result in the wrongful exclusion of eligible voters, citing the State’s customary institutions, traditional landholding patterns and the movement of residents between villages and urban areas.
In a statement issued on August 26, the NBCC said it welcomed efforts to make elections “clean, credible and transparent”, but stressed that the integrity of an electoral roll should be measured not only by the removal of ineligible names but also by whether every eligible citizen is protected from wrongful exclusion.
The council said Nagaland’s village-based communities, customary institutions, clan relationships and traditional landholding could create difficulties in a rigid documentation-based verification process.
“Many families may possess records that do not fit neatly into modern bureaucratic categories,” it said, warning that such an approach “could therefore disadvantage genuine indigenous voters.”
The NBCC also raised concerns over determining the ordinary residence of voters, pointing out that many residents study, work, serve in government or live temporarily outside their native villages, while others move to Dimapur, Kohima and other urban areas.
“Determining whether someone has shifted, is temporarily absent, or remains ordinarily resident can be complicated,” the council said, adding that incorrect classification could result in the deletion of genuine voters.
The council called on the administrative machinery to take a proactive role in the revision and urged Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and village authorities to ensure a clean and honest electoral roll.
It also cautioned that excessive pressure on field-level officials could increase mistakes in enumeration and verification, and said accuracy should take precedence over deadlines.
At the same time, the NBCC urged families not to include the names of deceased and other ineligible persons in the electoral rolls.
It appealed to voters to remain vigilant against wrongful deletion, exclusion, intimidation or manipulation and to ensure that their eligibility is established through a fair and lawful process.
The council also called for rumours to be prevented from misleading people and said bureaucracy or indifference should not become a barrier to genuine citizens receiving assistance during the revision.
“An intensive revision should not become an intensive exclusion,” the NBCC said, calling for the process in Nagaland to be careful, inclusive, transparent, non-discriminatory and rights-protective.
The statement was issued by Dr Villo Naleo, Secretary, Social Concern, NBCC.
