SHILLONG : Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) BDR Tiwari on Thursday announced the schedule and procedures for the upcoming biennial Rajya Sabha election in the state, stating that polling will be held on June 18.
Addressing reporters after a briefing meeting with representatives of various political parties, Tiwari said the election is being conducted as the tenure of the sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Meghalaya is scheduled to end on June 21, 2026.
He informed that the entire election process must be completed before June 20 in accordance with legal provisions.According to the schedule announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the official notification for the election will be issued on June 1, while the last date for filing nominations is June 8.
Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on June 9, while candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations until June 11. Polling will be conducted on June 18 between 9 AM and 4 PM, with counting of votes scheduled to begin the same evening from 5 PM onwards.
Tiwari said election officials have already inspected the polling venue along with representatives of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and confirmed that all arrangements are in line with ECI guidelines.
“We reviewed the venue and all necessary arrangements have been found to be in compliance with Election Commission norms,” he said.
The CEO also said political parties were briefed on mandatory procedures and documentation required during the election process, including Form 2C, affidavit Form 26, security deposits and Forms A, B and C relating to party authorisation and candidate details.
Tiwari further highlighted that strict compliance with Supreme Court and Election Commission directions regarding disclosure of criminal antecedents by candidates and political parties would be mandatory during the election.
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“The guidelines regarding public disclosure of criminal antecedents have been explained clearly to all political parties,” he stated.
Explaining the voting process, the CEO said the Rajya Sabha election would follow the proportional representation system through a single transferable vote mechanism. He also elaborated on the “open ballot” system followed in Rajya Sabha elections under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
According to the rules, MLAs belonging to political parties are required to show their marked ballot paper only to the authorised agent of their own party before casting their vote. Independent MLAs, however, are not permitted to show their ballot paper to any party representative.
Tiwari said all preliminary queries raised by regional political parties during the meeting had been addressed and assured that the election machinery is fully prepared for the conduct of the polls.