Roll revisions in Goa unfairly affects Portuguese Goans in UK

The writer was a practicing lawyer in Goa and a social activist in the U.K.

The recent electoral roll revisions in Goa have led to mass deletions, with some people being removed without proper notice.

For those Goan Portuguese citizens living abroad, like in the UK, contacting the Booth Level Officer (BLO) in Goa to remove their electoral role entry can be tough due to time differences and communication barriers. This raises concerns about fairness and transparency. 

The revisions disproportionately affect Goan Portuguese citizens in the UK, who may have lost in touch with local processes and don’t know how to contact a BLO from U.K. without having contact numbers/emails or information. 

There will be some Goan Portuguese citizens in the U.K. who have unintentionally missed notifications as they might not have family or relatives that stay in their family house in Goa. Some houses are not occupied and locked while the Goan Portuguese citizens make their lives in the U.K. Most of them will be unaware of the need to update their electoral status.

The appeal process for the electoral roll revisions in Goa is a concern for many, especially Goan Portuguese citizens in the UK. The process has been criticised for not giving proper or sufficient notice period. This has made it difficult to exercise the right of appeal.

The complex process requires voters to submit forms and documents, which can be challenging for those living abroad or unfamiliar with the process. The limited time frame provides is another challenge for people living in U.K. especially for those who don’t have family representing them in Goa.

The deadline for appeals was January 15, which was extended to January 19, but this is not enough time. A minimum of another 30 days period is required for voters to respond.

I hereby request the chief minister of Goa to ask for an extension of the deadline, which could provide more time for appeals.

The requirement for Goan Portuguese citizens in the UK to suo moto contact the Booth Level Officer (BLO) can be seen as unfair given the challenges of communicating from abroad. This process may disproportionately affect those who are unaware of the need to update their electoral status or face difficulties contacting the BLO.

Also, most of the Goan Portuguese Goan citizens will not be aware of the legal implications of not contacting the BLO in time.