The alleged manipulation of the electoral roll in Ward 1 of Candolim ahead of the upcoming bypoll has been rectified by the State administration, bringing relief to the Congress, which had earlier raised strong objections over the sudden addition of 145 voters.
The issue first came to light when the Congress collected the latest electoral roll and noticed a sharp increase in the number of voters.
Calangute Congress Block President Lourence Silveira said the party immediately filed a written complaint with the Returning Officer (RO), the Deputy Collector and the State Election Commission (SEC), pointing out discrepancies in the roll.
According to Congress leaders, the bypoll in Ward 1 is being held due to a vacancy following the death of the sitting panchayat member, and hence no fresh delimitation or large-scale revision of the electoral roll was warranted.
Congress youth leader Vivek D’Silva said the sudden addition of 145 names ahead of the bypoll had raised serious doubts.
“If there were 10 or 15 additional names, one could attribute it to clerical errors or oversight. But an increase of 145 voters in a casual vacancy shows that something was not right,” D’Silva said.
Following the party’s representation and appeal, the administration reviewed the matter and deleted the newly added names from the electoral roll, restoring it to its earlier status.
Silveira alleged that the episode exposed the possibility of manipulation and forgery in the electoral process and called for greater vigilance among voters.
“With this incident we have come to know what kind of manipulation can take place. I appeal to everyone to remain alert and check the election rolls in their respective areas at the earliest instead of waiting for the last minute,” he said.
Both Silveira and D’Silva maintained that those responsible for the alleged manipulation should be identified and held accountable.
They also urged voters in Candolim to “vote for change” in the forthcoming bypoll.
