Fears 2.9 lakh voters could be deleted from rolls
PANAJI
Raising serious concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, a Congress delegation on Tuesday met the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), alleging major procedural lapses that could lead to arbitrary deletion of 2.9 lakh voters from the electoral rolls.
Speaking to media persons post meeting, GPCC President Amit Patkar said that the exercise poses a grave threat to the democratic rights of Goans, with nearly 2.9 lakh voters at risk of being struck off without due process.
Patkar said the Congress has formally objected to the manner in which the SIR is being conducted and demanded immediate corrective measures to ensure transparency, fairness and protection of voters’ rights.
“Nearly 2.9 lakh voters are in danger of being arbitrarily struck off from the electoral rolls. This is nothing but an attack on the democratic rights of Goans,” he said, in the presence of MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira.
Patkar pointed out that the government should have issued show cause to 1.87 lakh voters, who are missing or not traceable or dead. “Those who are dead are fine, but what about voters shown as missing or relocated? They cannot be deleted without following due process,” he said.
He further alleged that around 1.82 lakh voters have been marked as ‘unmapped’, and criticised the Election Commission of India for not making this list public. “This lack of transparency raises serious doubts about the intent and the manner in which the SIR is being conducted,” Patkar said.
The GPCC president also flagged multiple complaints of long-time residents receiving notices despite living in Goa for decades. “There are so many instances where people who have been residing here for years are being served notices. This clearly violates the Supreme Court’s ruling that no voter can be deleted without issuing a proper show-cause notice and giving them a fair chance to respond,” he said.
Slamming the secrecy and haste surrounding the revision process, Patkar demanded that the CEO ensure complete transparency, organise widespread voter awareness camps and extend the current timeline. “To protect the democratic rights of every person, the Chief Electoral Officer will have to extend the time limit,” he said.
