Staff Reporter

ITANAGAR, 24 Sep: Following the publication of Arunachal Pradesh' final electoral roll on Tuesday, the state's total voter count stands at 6.96 lakh, marking a net reduction of 1.91 lakh electors from the pre-special intensive revision (SIR) count, with major deletion seen in Itanagar and Miao Assembly constituencies and the Bordumsa-Diyun Assembly constituency in Changlang district.

The state's final list includes 3,43,709 men, 3,52,315 women, and two third-gender electors. The Itanagar constituency has seen a massive deletion, with just 20,243 electors remaining out of the 63,995 registered in the 2024 election e-roll. This drastic reduction can be attributed to dual entries in the constituency from across the state.

Most of these voters do not vote in this constituency, choosing instead to vote in their home districts. According to the final data, Papum Pare district now has 50,867 registered electors across its three Assembly constituencies.

Changlang district, which has a large population of Chakma and Hajong settlers, recorded 15,007 deletions - a 21.03% decrease that brings the total number of voters across its five constituencies down to 56,363, as shown by the DEO's office.

The Bordumsa-Diyun legislative Assembly constituency - the only unreserved seat in the district, where a major chunk of voters consists of non-native residents as well as Chakma and Hajong communities - saw the deletion of 7,439 voters, collapsing by 32.33%, from 23,012 down to 15,663. Another constituency that experienced mass deletions was the Miao Assembly constituency, which saw a net drop of 4,473 voters.

In M'Pen-I and Dharmapur polling stations within the Miao- constituency, 1,186 out of 1,233 previously registered voters were removed. M'Pen-I saw 614 deletions out of 631 electors, and Dharmapur has 572 deletions out of 602 electors.

Earlier, in September, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) and the Chakmas had an altercation over voter eligibility parameters, with the union saying that it would not accept entry of Chakmas in the electoral roll.

Aggrieved citizens can file an appeal before the DEO within 15 days of the publication of the final roll. In the event of a rejection, a second appeal can be filed before the chief electoral officer within 30 days of the district magistrate's order.